EA CEO Says its Soccer Games Are Being Held Back by FIFA License
EA CEO Andrew Wilson reportedly told his staff in November 2021 that the FIFA license has been an "impediment" to EA's hopes for its football games.
Citing sources familiar with the conversation, VideoGamesChronicle reports that Wilson told staff in an internal meeting that FIFA (the organization) had kept EA from expanding FIFA (the games) into additional modes beyond a standard 11 vs. 11 or "broader digital ecosystems." Wilson also reportedly stated that the only value EA received from FIFA in a non-World Cup year was "four letters on the front of the box."
“I’m going to be more open… more open than I’ve been with the outside world,” Wilson reportedly said, when asked why EA was considering breaking up with FIFA. “We’ve had a great relationship with FIFA over the past 30-odd years. We’ve created billions in value… it’s just huge. We’ve created one of the biggest entertainment properties on the planet. I would argue – and this may be a little biased – that the FIFA brand has more meaning as a video game than it does a governing body of soccer. We don’t take that for granted and we try not to be arrogant. We’ve worked really hard to try and make FIFA understand what we need for the future.”
It's another installment in the long-running feud between EA and the FIFA organization, which most recently saw FIFA appear to challenge EA's football monopoly. The organization released a statement in October 2021 calling itself "bullish" over "the future of gaming and esports." The statement similarly appeared to denounce EA's grip on the football video game market, drastically outperforming its only competitor, Pro Evolution Soccer. FIFA reportedly wants to charge EA upwards of $1 billion per year for the rights to the FIFA brand.
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