Take-Two CEO Says FIFA Has "Great Clout" But Isn't Planning On Taking Up The Brand
EA announced last week that it is parting ways with the iconic FIFA name in its popular football game series, as the football organisation and the video games company had been tussling for months over the use of the 'FIFA' branding and the money for it. Clearly EA eventually decided the money wasn't worth it and future entries in its long-running football series will now be known as 'EA Sports FC'.
Following the split, FIFA's president Gianni Infantino released a combative statement in which he asserted that Fifa is "the only global, original title" and that the Fifa name "will remain forever and remain the best". Now that FIFA is looking for new partnerhips, other games companies could be in the market for it.
Related: FIFA, Please Make Your Disaster Of A Video Game
On a recent earnings call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick commented on FIFA as a brand (as reported by IGN). The publisher is one of the world's largest, being owners of 2K, Rockstar, and Zynga, and is responsible for releasing sports titles such as NBA 2K and PGA Tour 2K. So could Take-Two Interactive be interested in taking up FIFA and releasing its own FIFA football titles?
On the call, Strauss remarked that his company was "definitely interested in expanding our opportunities in sports, and FIFA has a great brand and incredible clout, but we have no current plans to discuss", he said. So that looks like a no.
As it is, the upcoming FIFA 23 will be the last EA title to include the FIFA name, with future games in the series to be called EA Sports FC instead. However, EA will still have other licenses so players should expect to keep seeing Manchester United, PSG, Real Madrid, the Premier League, among many others, including player and team likenesses.
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