"FIFA" will be called "EA Sports FC" in the future
After 30 years, the collaboration between FIFA and publisher Electronic Arts is coming to an end. From 2023, the games will be called "EA Sports FC".
"FIFA 23" will be the last official "FIFA" game. The sports series, which is extremely popular especially in Europe, will be called "EA Sports FC" from next year. This was announced by publisher Electronic Arts on Tuesday evening. It has been rumored for some time that the U.S. company and the World Football Association have fallen out. A major reason was the significantly more expensive license fees. Instead of US$150 million per year as before, FIFA is said to have demanded US$250 million from EA.
More freedom, NFTs, but no World Cup?
Nothing is to change in the content of "FIFA" or "EA Sports FC". In the announcement EA writes: "Everything you love about our games will be part of EA SPORTS FC". This includes the same modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes. However, the World Cup might be missing in the future, as that was also part of the deal.
The newly gained independence should allow for more innovation. According to the game website Videogameschronicle, the soccer association has so far prevented EA from other game modes than the traditional 11 vs. 11. Also in "EA Sports FC" are rumored to be NFTs - digital "items" that can be purchased.
The first "FIFA" was released in 1993 for the Mega Drive and was called "FIFA International Soccer". It was one of many sports games that helped Sega's console succeed over the Super Nintendo, especially in Europe.
Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.