EA has officially announced its new football (or soccer) franchise, which will replace the previous one following the collapse of the publisher’s deal with FIFA last year. Although the name of the FIFA successor had already been revealed, EA has now confirmed the new title as “EA Sports FC” on a newly launched website.
The EA Sports FC website reveals that the game will have partnerships with major football leagues such as the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Women’s Champions League, La Liga Santander, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, CONMEBOL Libertadores, Barclays Women’s Super League, NWSL, and others, as indicated by the rotating logos on the site. Interestingly, the only significant name absent from the list is FIFA’s. This is because FIFA opted to find a new development partner for its long-running football game franchise after negotiations with EA failed.
According to senior vice president and general manager Nick Wlodyka’s press release, the story of EA Sports FC begins here. EA Sports FC aims to build on its 30-year history of leadership and creating experiences that bring the global football community together while ushering in a fan-first future. Wlodyka states that the game will be a symbol of innovation and change, and fans can expect to see more of it in July.
Although there is limited information about the game itself, we can anticipate that it will be similar to FIFA 23, but without the FIFA branding. However, EA has dedicated an entire site to the EA Sports FC logo and typography, as well as a range of branded football merchandise that will likely go on sale soon.
For those who missed it, FIFA and EA’s partnership ended after FIFA demanded $1 billion to extend its license agreement. As a result, EA continued to produce its long-running football franchise under a new name, and we’ve known the name for over a year now. However, EA has only just officially announced it.
FIFA, on the other hand, appears to be still searching for a new developer to license its name to. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has stated that FIFA 25 will be “the best egame,” indicating that FIFA 24 will be skipped. While he promised more updates on the FIFA series “very soon,” it has been over a year, and there is still no information about FIFA’s plans for its next game.
In contrast, EA is moving forward with its rebranding plans. One might speculate whether FIFA regrets how it handled negotiations last year, considering the way EA is forging ahead or do they have something bigger planned. Time will tell,
