When people say FIFA, they would think of one of two things: The governing body of world soccer or the soccer video game. The two have become ubiquitous with the FIFA name. However, a seismic shift in the video game world and the cultural lexicon is about to take place asElectronic Arts is ending partnership with FIFA. The yearly soccer games will be rebranding intoEA Sports FC.In a press release announcing the rebranding, Cam Weber, Executive Vice President at EA Sports, celebrated the 30 history of the franchise and spoke of a “new era” that the developer wants to “take global football experiences to new heights. EA also assured fans that all of the franchise’s best-known game modes like Ultimate Team, Career Mode, VOLTA, and more will remain withEA Sports FCin this new future, as well as its partnerships with the world’s biggest soccer leagues like Premier League, Bundesliga, MLS, LaLiga, and over 300 other license partners.RELATED:EA Sports to Begin Crossplay Test for FIFA 22 SoonThe possibility of EA and FIFA separating has been speculated for some time with the two entities publicly at odds over negotiating new business arrangements. There were earlier reports that Electronic Arts trademarked the “EA Sports FC” title with the possibilities ranging from being a new game mode, a free-to-play mode, or, as today’s announcement confirms, a franchise rebrand. Then the FIFA governing body was rumored to beasking for $1 Billion every four years for EA to have permissionto emblazon the FIFA name and logo across the box. FIFA was also reported to be looking into expanding its direct reach into the digital spaces like esports and NFTs on its own.
Soccer video games are going through a bit of a shakeup as thefree-to-playUFLlooks to enter the marketand has secured brand and likeness rights to players like Cristiano Ronaldo and clubs like Borussia Monchengladbach and West Ham United. Konami’s rebrandedeFootballseries is also free-to-play but has had major issues transitioning to the new model.EA Sports FCwill still be the lead game in the mix but wades into uncharted territory looking for a new identity.
It will be interesting to see how much of the licenses to teams and player likenessesEA will be able to retain without direct FIFA input, though it’s been said that things of that nature are agreed upon through a different agreement and may be mixed in somewhere with the 300 license partners EA claimed it has going forward.
