EA and FIFA end nearly 30-year-old-partnership

gamesindustry.biz:

Jeffrey Rousseau

Staff Writer

Tuesday 10th May 2022

EA and FIFA have ended their video game partnership after nearly 30 years and the soccer game franchise rebrands to EA Sports FC.

As reported by The New York Times, the deal is now expected to end through the Women's World Cup next summer in 2023.

The site notes that the game will not see much of a change, as popular clubs and players will remain usable due to separate licensing deals amongst teams and leagues.

The report went on to say that the FIFA video game franchise has generated more than $20 billion in revenue.

News that EA might rebrand FIFA began back in October, shortly before it emerged that FIFA reportedly wanted to double the cost of its license to more than $1 billion for each four-year World Cup cycle.

The association also said that it was interested in expanding beyond such an exclusive licensing agreement.

Around the same time, it was reported that the publisher had trademarked EA Sports FC.

FIFA is consistently one of the best-selling games every year, it's the biggest games brand of all time in the UK.

In an announcement of the rebrand EA said in part, "...Alongside our 300+ license partners across the sport, we're ready to take global football experiences to new heights, on behalf of all football fans around the world," the publisher said in the statement.