EA has announced that the FIFA series will be dropping the football body’s license, and will instead be called EA Sports FC.
The news comes after months of speculation that FIFA 22 would be the last FIFA game, with EA considering renaming the series due to high licensing fees from FIFA.
In a post on EA’s website, EVP and Group GM of EA SPORTS, Cam Weber revealed that next year will see the launch of EA Sports FC. However, for those worried that the game may go the eFootball 2022 route, with scant licensing for leagues, clubs, and players, it seems EA has maintained most of its partnerships.
“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,” Weber said.
“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, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, the MLS – and more to come.”
Weber added that this is intended as more than just a renaming of the series too and that EA will look to innovate, “ensuring EA SPORTS FC is a symbol of change.” Details on what that change could be aren’t clear, but he says this independence will allow the series to “innovate, create and evolve”.
One more kickabout
However, despite early speculation, FIFA 22 will not be the last title in the series. There will still be one more FIFA, which is set to arrive later this year. In the post, Weber said, “EA SPORTS FC will allow us to realize this future and much more…but not before we deliver our most expansive game ever with our current naming rights partner, FIFA, for one more year.
“We are committed to ensuring the next FIFA is our best ever, with more features, game modes, World Cup content, clubs, leagues, competitions, and players than any FIFA title before.”
However, if you are excited about hearing more news on the series, don’t expect it any time soon. The post on EA’s website says we won’t hear anything about the game until Summer 2023.
This ends a 30-year partnership and a massive change for one of the most successful game series in the world. We will have to see if this name change generates any sort of negativity, but seeing what the developers can do with the series without the say-so of FIFA itself is potentially interesting.