Picture Credit: EA Sports
In the latest development, the media giant EA Sports has announced that the FIFA video game series will be known as the EA Sports FC. This move will end the nearly 3-decade-long partnership with the apex governing body, FIFA.
The EA Sports subdivision handled the production of the popular game since 1993. Although, it was profitable until the last edition of the game, both the parties could not reach an agreement over the cost of the license.
EA will be continuing to make the football games, but it will be branded as EA Sports FC. The vice-president of EA Sports Cam Weber thanked the fans of the game for their support, which helped them build the world’s biggest football entertainment platform.
"[We] want to start by thanking this incredible community of more than 150 million fans for helping build the world’s biggest football entertainment platform. After nearly 30 years of creating genre-defining interactive football experiences, we will soon begin an exciting new era,” read an official statement from company executive vice president Cam Weber.
Weber reckoned that the organization is ready to take the experience to new heights with the independent platform. He added that EA Sports FC will offer a different style of gameplay in order to build a brand for the future.
"Next year, EA SPORTS FC will become the future of football from EA SPORTS. 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,” Weber added.
"This new independent platform will bring fresh opportunity – to innovate, create and evolve. This is much more than just a change of symbol - as EA SPORTS, we’re committed to ensuring EA SPORTS FC is a symbol of change. [We] look forward to sharing more detail on these plans in the coming months." he concluded.
Vice-president David Jackson also opened on their plan for the years to come for EA Sports. He revealed that the current licensing conventions had some restrictions, which were coming in between to provide a better experience for the people playing the game.
"Under the licensing conventions that we had agreed with FIFA 10 years ago, there were some restrictions that weren't going to allow us to be able to build those experiences for players," said David.
In the end, he said that EA has signed up with 19,000 athletes, 700 teams, 100 stadiums, and over 30 leagues for future games. In a few months’ time, the FIFA 23 is scheduled to be released, while the EA Sports FC is likely to hit the market in late 2023.