According to journalist Jeff Grub, EA has reportedly approved internally the decision to rebrand the longtime FIFA football franchise as EA Sports Football Club. This particular rumor has been circulating the internet for some time after reports of tensions between FIFA and EA regarding the licensing deal were made public.
EA’s current licensing agreement will only expire after the Qatar World Club in November, and it is reported that the last game that will use the license will be FIFA 23. Games usually release in September or early October.
Tensions between EA and football’s governing body over the license have been one of the hottest topics in the gaming community and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
EA is reportedly moving forward with “EA Sports Football Club”replacing “FIFA”
The “EA Sports Football Club”trademarks were registered by EA in October 2021. EASFC used to exist as an in-game catalog that allowed players to purchase in-game items such as boots, balls, teams, and football. Club loans.
However, it now appears that EA could potentially pave the way for the franchise to become known as “EA Sports Football Club”upon the release of FIFA 23. Grubb also added that the decision was made internally and that a trailer or announcement should come soon enough.
Reports from earlier this year said that EA CEO Andrew Wilson believes the franchise will work fine without a FIFA license and that it only limits the scope of the franchise.
Shortly after the launch of FIFA 22, an EA press release said that the publisher may be ready to drop the license. “Looking ahead, we are also considering the idea of renaming our global football games EA SPORTS,” the press release reads. “This means that we are reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA, which is separate from all of our other official partnerships and licenses in the football world.”