Electronic Arts has announced a strong opening to its FIFA Soccer 09 season. More than 1.2 million copies of the critically-acclaimed game were sold through in its first week on shelves at European retail, making it the fastest start in the history of the franchise.

"FIFA Soccer 09's great kick-off is a testament to our loyal fans across Europe who simply can't wait to get their hands on the game," said Peter Moore, President of EA Sports.

"FIFA Soccer 09 is EA's best soccer offering to date featuring game modes such as Be A Pro: Seasons, 10 vs. 10 Online Team Play, FIFA 09 'Clubs' and the adidas Live Season service. This is our fastest selling FIFA game of all time and it's rewarding to see the game so high on the list of must-have titles this holiday."

FIFA Soccer 09 delivers unique, platform specific experiences that take advantage of the hardware specifications of each available platform the game has been released on - the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PSP system and mobile.