The time has come to say goodbye to the FIFA game saga, as EA Sports’ association with FIFA comes to an end after 30 years.
EA agreed to change the name of the game in May 2022 and has now released images of what it will look like.
Electronic Arts has announced that EA Sports FC will replace the beloved franchise with new branding and a new logo.
EA has warned that the EA Sports FC branding will be present throughout the soccer world in the coming days. This will include advertising in Premier League and WSL matches, as well as La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1.
FIFA has been the leader in soccer games since its launch in 1994 on the Sega Mega Drive, with annual releases dominating the market year after year.
FIFA will officially be renamed EA Sports FC from the 2024 edition. Apparently, the new EA Sports FC title will be released this year ahead of the regular FIFA titles.
The game is currently in the testing phase, and more details are expected to be revealed in July 2023, with the launch window scheduled for September.
EA Sports FC has announced partnerships with more than 19,000 fully licensed players, 700 teams and 30 leagues ahead of launch.
The Premier League, Barclays Womens Super League (UK), National Womens Super League (US), La Liga, Bundesliga and CONMEBOL have renewed their partnerships with EA, meaning they will all be playable leagues when the game launches.
FIFA reportedly wanted “more than double” the price of EA’s licensing deal, as the publisher was still making billions of dollars from the game and its hugely profitable (and controversial) loot boxes. EA apparently wanted to use the FIFA license to explore other avenues, such as video game tournaments and digital products like NFTs.