FIFA 23 will be the last football game from EA with this name
Electronic Arts has been notified that their partnership with the International Football Federation has been completed, and therefore FIFA 23 will be the last football simulator with this name. All subsequent games will carry the EA Sports FC title. GM EA SPORTS & Racing Group Vice President Cam Weber confirmed the information in an open letter.
There is no information about what acted as the reasons for terminating the agreement. Journalists from The New York Times put forward a hypothesis about FIFA's attempts to double the price for the use of their licenses. Electronic Arts refused such conditions and therefore the agreement was terminated.
According to Cam Weber, group vice president of GM EA SPORTS & Racing, after the end of the FIFA lineup, an “exciting new era” will begin under a different brand, EA Sports FC. He also said that the name change should not affect the quality of the game. On the contrary, innovations will have to appear in the simulator, and the first details about this may appear in the summer of 2023.
Electronic Arts announces the readiness of the following agreements with major football leagues, clubs and sports brands. The list of confirmed partners includes such leagues as La Liga, Bundesliga, English Premier League, Serie A, MLS and others.
This news did not come as a complete surprise. Well-known insider Jeff Grubb at the end of March talked about the possibility of changing the name of the football simulator from Electronic Arts. He also revealed that FIFA have rebranded and started developing their own football simulation. Recall that the collaboration between the game publisher and the International Football Federation lasted more than 30 years. Electronic Arts managed to release more than three dozen football simulators, including not only FIFA, but also FIFA Manager and titles with the subtitle Euro.
Comments