What’s next for the FIFA license?
When it released FIFA 23 last September, EA Sports had already announced that this edition would be the last to feature the title of this absolutely historic franchise. after nearly 30 years of cooperation with the international football federation – FIFA – EA Sports, however, will continue to produce the most popular sports game on the planet and probably one of the most iconic of all categories combined.
Why this change of situation was announced last May and by FIFA and above all, What is the future of EA Sports’ flagship game? Back to the end of an era and certainly the beginning of a new one.
Historical game
With hundreds of millions of copies sold since the franchise’s inception in 1993, FIFA has been a mind-boggling commercial success story spanning decades. But the real turning point happened With the release of FIFA 98 in 1997a game that goes down in history and is still played by the best FIFA player today.
Latest FIFA license
Over the past decades, FIFA has undergone major changes and recently the game has also become one of the most popular games in the eSports era globally. It also explains the major investments most European football clubs have made in this area of video games in recent years.
However, EA Sports no longer seemed to be entirely satisfied with the guarantees that the FIFA brand license gave away for free. With a financial deal announced around a billion dollars for a four-year period, price, according to the publisher, is not the only explanation for parting with this historic franchise. For fans of the game, it might even be useful.
Title: Habits must remain the same
New name for new features
Currently, EA Sports’ FIFA game is often criticized for its lack of modernism and, above all, its lag compared to other franchises that have become flagships, such as NBA 2K for basketball or Madden for American football. After the publisher’s explanations, we understand first of all that this deficiency is related to FIFA and not due to the lack of ambition of the developers.
With the desire to develop new functions over several years and especially after the agreement signed in 2012, American society is often held back by a powerful world federation.
That’s why the new EA Sports FC is worth watching in ways almost unimaginable about previous franchises. Different development from arcade mode? Additional simulation? Augmented or virtual reality integration? EA Sports will be opening their arms, and the current development has apparently removed a lot of the monotony from the California-based developers and also at the video game company’s other studios.
According to EAS vice president David Jackson, the creation of in-game content will certainly be part of the innovations.
If indeed one will have to wait for the release of this opus to form a well-defined opinion, EA Sports is confident in its strengths and if successful, this loss could be huge for FIFA.
Retained partnerships
Therefore, EA Sports will no longer be able to take advantage of the FIFA license, but for those looking for a football game with official licenses, do not panic as EA Sports has already announced a number of partnerships last May.
With over 20,000 professional footballers, but above all, 700 teams and already partnered with 30 championships, including the Premier League, EA Sports will be sure to attract new purists. Moreover, the announced agreement with UEFA will surely provide the presence of official European competitions within the opus. It’s almost an affront to FIFA, but EA Sports FC is sure to perpetuate a great story that will celebrate its 30th anniversary in the coming weeks…
