EA Sports, FIFA Ending 30-Year Alliance That Has Generated ‘$20B-Plus In Sales’
Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at 05:09PM By Barry Janoff
May 10, 2022: Electronic Arts said today it is ending its alliance with FIFA and that its soccer games would be published under a new EA Sports FC brand beginning in 2023.
EA said the move would enable the company to “deliver the world’s biggest interactive sports experience for its growing community in collaboration with 300-plus partners across the world of football.”
EA Sports and FIFA have been aligned since 1993 but were unable to agree on a new licensing deal.
According to The New York Times, EA Sports-FIFA games have “generated more than $20 billion in sales.”
FIFA said it has granted a "new short-term extension to existing publisher EA Sports to launch a new FIFA 23 title later this year, which will feature the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup competitions in one edition for the first time."
EA Sports said EA Sports FC is scheduled for release in late 2023.
David Jackson, vp-EA Sports, told BBC Sports, "Money plays a critical role in most negotiations, but the reason we are doing this is to create the very best experiences we can for both players and partners. As part of that you consider whether or not your investment in one place is better or worse than an investment in another.
"On balance, over time, we felt that our investments were better suited in spaces that were most important to players, like the different experiences we can now build in the game. For our partners, it's the way we can welcome and engage them into a platform that talks to 150 million young football fans around the world."
FIFA said it “intends to work with a range of partners rather than lock up all gaming and eSports rights exclusively with one publisher for the long term.”
Several non-simulation games are “already in production” scheduled for release in Q3 2022.
"I can assure you that
the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said via the organization.
"The FIFA name is the only global, original title. FIFA 23, FIFA 24, FIFA 25 and FIFA 26, and so on — the constant is the FIFA name and it will remain forever and remain the best.”
According to The New York Times, “The (EA Sports) game itself will not change much. Most of the world’s famous clubs and stars will still be playable because of separate licensing deals with their teams and leagues, even though the World Cup itself and other FIFA-controlled events will no longer be included.”
The FIFA Men’s World Cup is scheduled for Nov. 21-Dec. 18 in Qatar. The FIFA Women’s 2023 World Cup is scheduled for July 19- Aug. 19.
“We're thankful for our many years of great partnership with FIFA," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said via the video game company.
"The future of global football is very bright, and fandom around the world has never been stronger. We have an incredible opportunity to put EA Sports FC at the heart of the sport, and to bring even more innovative and authentic experiences to the growing football audience."
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