Miami Horror & Unknown Mortal Orchestra Named On 'FIFA 16' Soundtrack

It's that time of year again, when video game developers — notably the likes of Electronic Arts and 2K Games — wheel out the next iteration of their annual sports franchises to convince gamers to drop a hundred bucks on slightly updated team rosters and marginally better graphics.

However, the upside for us is that, pretty universally, these games tend to have killer soundtracks, and the "2016" editions are shaping up very nicely indeed. Last month, Aussie outfit Hermitude were named on EA's Madden NFL 2016 soundtrack, while countrymen Bag Raiders were included in NBA 2K16's 50-song-strong line-up back in July — and now, stalwart local group Miami Horror and trans-ditch NZ/US ensemble Unknown Mortal Orchestra have their turn in the sun courtesy of their inclusion on EA's FIFA 16 release.

Miami Horror get the nod for their 2015 track All It Ever Was, from their recent full-length All Possible Futures while the folks of UMO have made the cut for the chilled grooves of Can't Keep Checking My Phone, which you might have heard back in May when it arrived along with the rest of their third album, Multi-Love.

The penchant for popular tunes is not something the franchise has developed overnight; rather, the games have made something of a habit of acting as a platform to push artists from all around the world to scores of people all united in their love of making little virtual men take dives and rip flares and whatever else goes on at soccer matches.

"FIFA has traditionally been gaming's foremost international showcase for new artists of every genre," EA's Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing, Steve Schnur, said in a statement. "With FIFA 16, we’ve once again created a soundtrack that will enable millions of fans worldwide to discover new music they might have never heard otherwise.

"Artists like Kygo and Aurora from Norway, X-Wife from Portugal, Bomba Estereo from Colombia, The Very Best from Malawi and the UK, Baiana System from Brazil and Raury from America do more than just enhance a great game. FIFA 16 represents globalized music as its very best."

FIFA 16 releases on Thursday, 24 September, in Australia, and marks the first time the series has included female players, with 12 different national women's teams appearing.

Pre-orders are available via EB Games now; check out FIFA's soundtrack playlist - including both Miami Horror and UMO - below.