EA is ditching the FIFA branding starting with next year’s soccer game
EA is officially dropping the FIFA branding for its hit soccer video games starting with next year’s release, the company announced Tuesday. The new title for the games will be EA Sports FC.
Despite the name change, it sounds as if much of the DNA of the FIFA games will remain the same. “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,” EA’s Cam Weber said in a blog post. “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.”
Weber said that EA will share more information about EA Sports FC in summer 2023. He also promised EA is “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.”
EA ditching the FIFA branding isn’t a total surprise. EA publicly announced last year that it was “reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA.” And leaked comments from EA CEO Andrew Wilson indicated he was dissatisfied with the company’s branding deal with FIFA. “Basically, what we get from FIFA in a non-World Cup year is the four letters on the front of the box,” he said, according to VGC’s report on the comments.
And EA has also shown a recent willingness to make sports games with less splashy branding. The company is bringing back college football games without college
Read more on theverge.com
