Game News FIFA: EA is about to change the name of its license for good
In the soap opera that opposes FIFA to EA Sports, we learn today that the studio would finally be ready to definitively abandon the name of its flagship license in order to avoid paying the exploitation rights. FIFA 23 would therefore not be released under this name but would become EA Sports FC.
Goodbye FIFA, Welcome EA Sports FC ?
As we know, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association and Electronic Arts have been in conflict for some time now. This information dates back several months already while Cam Weber, the general manager of EA Sports, mentioned the possibility of renaming the FIFA games. This decision is above all motivated by the end of the contract linking FIFA to Electronic Arts and the too large sum that the Federation asked the studio to renew their agreements.
For its part, if the studio refuses to pay the sum requested, it also evokes the lack of interest of the appellation in itself, which would have finally become an “obstacle” more than a real advantage. Today in people’s minds, FIFA echoes video games more widely than the Federation itself. If the interest of keeping or not the name is undoubtedly debatable, Electronic Arts would have already chosen to ignore it. Thus, FIFA would become EA Sports FC, like the studio’s other sports games like EA Sports PGA Tour or EA Sports UFC for example. If the information is not new, it is the very famous Jeff Grubb who recently revived the debate by raising the issue in his podcast GrubbSnax. According to him, this change should be formalized soon. Information that comes back with insistence but which has not yet been confirmed by EA.
FIFA goes away and then comes back
Concretely, what does the end of this partnership mean? For EA, actually not much. In the event that no contract is renewed, the studio loses the right to use the name, which will disappear from its visuals. What’s more, Electronic Arts will no longer have the right to exploit the World Cup. But apart from these slight changes, the content of football games made in EA will be basically the same. Eventually, if the background should not change enormously, it is possible that this brand change will impact the image of the game with consumers. Remember that FIFA brings in more than a billion euros each year just with its FUT mode.
Moreover, if FIFA changes its name, it is not impossible that the few competitors of EA monopolize the name. The Federation is obviously ready to cede its rights for a fee, to anyone willing to pay. After the debacle eFootball, Would Konami be ready to take the step? For the moment nothing is certain. Anyway, still according to Jeff Grubb, it is surprising that this effective change of name has not yet been assured as EA was preparing to announce it later this month. We’ll have to stay tuned to see if EA’s next Football game will mark a turning point for its license or not.
By SengsunnWriting jeuxvideo.com
MP