Electronic Arts looks to have made the fastest selling sports game ever.

The video games manufacturer has estimated sales of its FIFA 11 title across Europe and the US at 2.6 million since the launch in late September.

Shares have jumped on the announcement.

That is just a year after breaking sales records with FIFA 10.

"It's been a tremendous few days for us, with FIFA 11 getting not only critical success but commercial success. It's early days," EA Sports President Peter Moore said.

"It's our first 72 hours basically in the European marketplace and maybe a couple days extra in North America but it bodes well both for us and for the industry going into the Christmas sales period that we've got a title of this magnitude selling so well."

Moore says he also thinks it's significant that the first two days after the European launch became the busiest period for online gaming in EA's history.

He added that the ability to play games against people over the internet is creating a network effect that's fueling sales of the physical games.

"The stickiness of - you've bought it and your mates gotta buy it because he wants to play against you but you don't live in the same town becomes a multiplier if you have a powerful online element and boy do we have that in FIFA," Moore added.

EA has also introduced new versons of its FIFA game - including one for the iPhone and iPod touch.