EA Sports Parts Ways With FIFA, Rebrands Series to ‘EA Sports FC’
After talks collapsed regarding the future of the EA Sports FIFA franchise, EA and FIFA – the world’s largest and most influential sports governing organization – have terminated their partnership.
In an official blog posted this week, EA Sports stated that after almost three decades, they will “soon begin an exciting new era”.
Everything you love about our games will be part of EA SPORTS FC – the same great experiences, modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes will be there. Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA Football will all be there. Our unique licensing portfolio of more than 19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues that we’ve continued to invest in for decades will still be there, uniquely in EA SPORTS FC. That includes exclusive partnerships with the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A, the MLS – and more to come.
EA SPORTS FC™ is the Future of Interactive Football
Multiple sources have reported that FIFA was looking for EA Sports to at least double the $150 million licensing fe it has been consistently paid in recent years, but FIFA lost its biggest commercial partner in the process. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object – here’s your example. FIFA and EA haven’t exactly been cast in the most noble light in recent years, especially where money is concerned, and it would appear that this time FIFA throwing its weight around backfired.
FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, doesn’t seem concerned about this. He says they plan to create a new gaming model, and added – “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”.
So we’ve got two sides here. You could view this as a sports governing body wanting the best for the sport, and searching for a developer outside of EA to continue to push the genre forward, or you could look at this as a money fight between two companies who no longer can see eye-to-eye.
In any case, this scenario should mean a win for fans of the series – as it absolutely is going to push the genre forward and force EA to evolve it’s game now that new competition is on the horizon.
