• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, March 2, 2010

The gaming company FIFA soccer product, already a $3 billion franchise, is due to grow â€" thanks to a little soccer event in the summer called the World Cup.

Andrew Wilson, senior vp of Electronic Arts, says this year the game will reach 20 million to 30 million. A new marketing campaign looks to expand that market.

“This is our ‘Avatar,’” says Wilson. “This will bring ‘Avatar’ like returns.”

“Games continue to be the fastest growing segment in the entertainment sector,” says Wilson. Much of this is because its characters are getting more human-like.

“These characters are processing a thousand decisions a second. That one of the reasons people keep coming back to play.”