EA Head of Esports on cross-title strategy and what’s next for the Esports World Cup

EA’s head of sports, Monica Dinsmorespoke to Esports Insider (ESI) e Esports World Cup about how EA is planning its esports operations across titles, the growing overlap between esports and real-world games, EA’s mobile push, and what could come next with the Esports World Cup.

On the first weekend of the competition, EA had one of the broadest steps for publishers in the Esports World Cup. I Legends of the Apex The Global Series Split 1 Playoffs saw a sellout crowd watch the spectacle as the game point format delivered a night of drama and plenty of stories.

In the same expo hall, more than 500 EA FC hopefuls descend on the French capital, hoping to earn their chance to compete against the world’s best footballers for their share of a prize pool of over $1,000,000.

THIS: What does a real EA esports team look like on a day-to-day basis?

Monica Dinsmore: We have really in-depth experts on each topic that live within the works that cover the topics. For example, league operations, marketing, PR and comms, social, all the different functions that make up an esports team have people who can use them multiple times. It gives them an opportunity to share good practices and learn from each other.

Then we have people who will really go in, really deep, people who know the rules and regulations about the topic inside and out, people who know the community of Apex or EA FC, for example, better than anyone else, so they can create content that really speaks to the fans. So it’s kind of a combination of working professionals who go deep into those topics.

THIS: Is an Apex fan different from a sports fan, or can they still be treated the same way, as an Apex fan can also be an NFL fan?

Monica Dinsmore: Of course, it’s rare, but it’s really nice when it happens. I think the fandom is pretty much the same outside of the game. It really shows the love you have for the community. It really shows the love you have for the game. Sports (franchises) present a slightly different kind of fandom opportunity because you can be a real-life sports fan.

You may be a real sports fan and player, but equally you can be a fan of a team or club in Apex. Where the fandom is the same, the approach is the same, but it’s really important that we listen to our communities and give them what they want.

Most of the motivations for watching esports are pretty much the same across all sports. They want to be better. They want to celebrate their community. They want to be a fan of a player or a team. So that approach is very similar, but there are nuances as to what fans really like within your game itself.

THIS: He had a Champions League final in Budapest, next to the Champions League.

Monica Dinsmore: I love those moments.

THIS: What does that tell you about where esports meets real-world sports, and what do those moments tell you about where we’re going audience-wise?

Monica Dinsmore: I think we’re seeing more and more, especially on the sports side, that games and sports games tend to get younger fans into real-life sports. They may learn about sports. They would learn the rules. They would learn every position on the field or football field. They will learn about their favorite players, their favorite teams through the game.

And in some cases, watching a real football game on TV or going to it in person is not possible, so you enjoy football through video games. He talked about the Champions League.

That’s an amazing moment, when the winner of the eChampions League is awarded the trophy on the pitch, and I was there. It was an amazing experience. Those are very unique and special to EA Sports, and to appear at the NFL Super Bowl next to all the action is a truly amazing opportunity that is unique to EA.

We have talked about [traditional football] The World Cup and what is done is popular in the countries, and every sports area is full of fans. It’s something I think we can achieve. It is a great goal for the future of sports.

THIS: You started your role as head of sport in January 2025. What has been the biggest change in the way you work since you started from where you are now?

Monica Dinsmore: Well, we touched on it a bit. It was organizing the team in a way that we can learn from each other, that teams can get different titles. We are very close to franchises.

We really act as a growth driver; we’re committed to engagement at the core, so we work very closely with our franchise teams to understand what’s going on, what their behavior is, what they care about, and we design our competitive ecosystem with that in mind.

We’ve seen a lot of innovation over the last year or so in how we provide POV streaming capabilities and similar features in Apex. I feel like we have done a lot.

We have seen an amazing partnership with the city of Sapporo and ALGS. We have continued to build on the success of EAFC Pro, which is only in its 3rd year. We’ve seen views, on-site experiences, convert into fans and product exposure, and Sapporo is a great example.

I just think our tournaments look and feel better, bigger, more fun, and that’s the result of listening to our fans.

I think another thing I would add is that being close to the franchise includes being close to the dev team, so you’ll see more integration and in-game opportunities like better drops, better opportunities to see what’s happening in esports within the game. We look forward to continued close communication.

ESI: Let’s talk to FC Pro Mobile. It seems like mobile is your best bet in reaching a new breed of esports fan. How different is it for you to build for a mobile audience, and are there any challenges you’ve seen in the mobile space?

Monica Dinsmore: Yes, I think we’ve had the benefit of experimenting and learning over the last few years. We have had some very successful festivals, our approach is first, let’s see how the community competes, then we empower them to compete on stage and organize some competitions.

If we see success there, then we will build something legitimate around it. I think kicking off in Asia makes a lot of sense because the region is the best, so we’ll start building on the success of that program and hopefully make it a global program that looks and feels a lot like EA FC.

I think the other thing I would add is that there is a lot of interest from our league and club partners within the FC ecosystem to reach a new international audience, so they are all very excited that we are starting a new place in Asia.

THIS: You’ve mentioned before the transition from esports winter to esports spring. Besides the vibe, what’s the evidence for that? Where do you see that growth, if you are asked to show me the spring?

Monica Dinsmore: It’s the vibe. I mean, honestly, I was just going to put you on the field right now and show you the amount of effort, love, investment that is happening not only in the esports World Cup Foundation, but the city of Paris, the country of France, and the fact that all these AAA publishers have come together to celebrate their games and celebrate the esports community.

I think it’s just an indication of our growth as an industry together, and we have the Esports Nations Cup coming up, which will be a great way for fans to express new ways to celebrate their sports, but this is just an indication of the level of investment, the level of belief, the level of passion of all of us to show up here and give our fans an amazing experience. So I think that’s it, just start.

If you wanted me to prove it, that’s what I would do. I was going to accompany you to show you.

ESI: Is there a chance that the EA Esports World Cup titles will increase? What does next year look like, and are North American sports titles so regionalized that it’s hard to expand?

Monica Dinsmore: Well, I always want to do more. I think there is an interest, a mutual interest between the Esports World Cup Foundation and us to do more.

We have an opportunity with EAFC Mobile, and I think there is growing interest globally as the industry matures to bring games to different markets.

I would like to bring Madden here. I would love the day French fans want Madden or College Football to be seen around the world. So yeah, I mean, like I said before, it’s about going where the fans are and trying to explore new markets.

It’s easy with the global title, but I think you’re seeing the NFL bringing NFL games to Europe, and doing that more and more. So as we begin to depend on how they build the fandom, we will follow.