After months of speculation, Electronic Arts has finally cut ties with FIFA and renamed its annual football franchise EA Sports FC. This took months as reports suggest EA was considering dropping the “FIFA”trademark after the governing body raised concerns about the licensing deal being undervalued.
Electronic Arts has confirmed that the annual football franchise will be promoted under the new brand “EA Sports FC”in 2023. “Our vision for EA SPORTS FC is to create the largest and most influential football club in the world, football fans,” said Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson.
The announcement hints at the franchise’s potential to expand beyond the game and “expand to new experiences and expand access across more platforms.”
EA’s annual football franchise, FIFA, will become EA Sports FC from 2023
In addition to the rebranding announcement, EA has also confirmed that the final “FIFA”game, released later this year, will be the most “expanded”EA Sports FIFA game ever. The game will feature more game modes, features, teams, leagues, players, and competitions than any previous installment in the franchise.
“We are grateful for the many years of excellent partnership with FIFA. The future of global football is very bright and fans around the world have never been stronger,” continued CEO Andrew Wilson. “We have an incredible opportunity to make EA SPORTS FC the center of sports and offer even more innovative and authentic experiences to a growing football audience.”
In terms of licensing and partnerships, Electronic Arts has confirmed that EA Sports FC will be the only place where fans will be able to play in the following leagues:
- UEFA Champions League
- UEFA Europa League
- CONMEBOL Libertadores
- Premier League
- Bundesliga
- La Liga
- Serie A
- MLS and others.