EA’s CEO tells staff it’s been ‘impeded’ by the FIFA brand: ‘It’s four letters on a box’
Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson has given employees a frank appraisal of why he believes the company could be better off ending its 30-year relationship with FIFA.
In his most revealing comments yet on the status of licence negotiations with the footballing body, Wilson told staff in an internal company meeting in November that the FIFA license had been “an impediment” to EA’s ambitions for the game series.
In comments provided anonymously to VGC, Wilson claimed that FIFA had precluded EA from expanding its games into modes beyond traditional 11v11, or “broader digital ecosystems”, and suggested that the only value EA got from the licence in a non-World Cup year was “four letters on the front of the box”.
EA declined to comment when provided with advance notice of this story.
EA and FIFA were engaged in a surprising series of back-and-forth statements last year, which started when the video games publisher decided to make public that it was considering ending its relationship with the footballing body.
According to a New York Times report published the same month, negotiations between the pair stalled due to EA’s desire for more rights, and FIFA’s alleged demand for EA to double its payment for the licence to $2.5 billion over the next decade.
If negotiations aren’t resolved before EA’s current 10-year naming deal expires after this year’s Qatar World Cup, FIFA 23 could be the final EA Sports football game to use the FIFA name.
VGC understands EA is currently planning to release this year’s game as FIFA 23 and include two FIFA World Cup tournaments – the men’s and women’s events – for the first time.
However, speaking to employees during an internal all-hands meeting in November, EA boss Wilson argued that ditching the FIFA
Read more on videogameschronicle.com
