What Will Happen With EA’s FIFA Game Now?

Figure 1 Gamers may have to choose between EA and FIFA next year

Since 1993 FIFA has been the go-to game for football fans. It has seen off competition from the likes of Pro Evolution Soccer to become the definite football video game. In recent years the rise of esports has seen FIFA become part of that lucrative world as well, including having its own markets on online betting sites. But that will all change after the next edition is released.

 

That’s because Electronic Arts (EA), the makers of the FIFA game series have fallen out with the actual FIFA, the organization that runs international soccer. The licensing deal was set to come up for renewal but FIFA demanded almost double the current price – leaving EA no option but to say no. So what now for the biggest football game in the world?

 

What Happened?

 When it comes down to it, the split between FIFA and EA is all about the money. FIFA wanted a much bigger payment for allowing EA to use its logo and image rights in the game. EA didn’t want to pay so much. So now they are going their separate ways.

 

EA has consistently produced the number one football game for almost 30 years – and part of its success has been its realistic nature. Not only have there been huge advancements in the way the players move, but the actual names of teams, leagues and tournaments have helped it remain a market leader.

 

What Next for FIFA?

 As is FIFA’s way, they are convinced that gamers will follow the brand and keep on buying the annual titles. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has stated that the name of the game will remain the same forever, simply changing the year as with the EA version. He also believes that it will continue to be the best game available.

 

But EA will still retain many player and league licenses, so there may be a difficulty for FIFA as far as branding goes. They will also need to work with another top games publisher to come up with a title that compares favorably with the EA game – and they won’t have long to work on that.

 

Figure 2 FIFA may have to concentrate on its own competitions

What Next for EA?

 The original deal actually ends after the next edition of the game. So, there will be a FIFA 23 for gamers to buy later in the year. After that EA will be going on without the FIFA licensing. As mentioned, EA still has deals in place for 19,000 players, 700 teams and more than 30 leagues around the world. So there is still a lot of realistic gaming possible.

 

EA has already announced that the new game will be called EA Sports FC. There is an assumption that this will also have a yearly update. It would seem as though these licensing deals would allow for EA to go on largely as before – but possibly not include all the competitions.

 

How Do the Gamers Feel About the News?

 The FIFA game is so much more than just two teams playing against each other. Other aspects of the product, such as Ultimate Team and Volta have become incredibly popular in recent years and gamers were initially worried that some of those might disappear without the FIFA deal.

 

But EA has assured its customers that there will be a continuation of the different modes available and that future EA Sports FC games will still be the number one football game on the market.

 

The Future of Football Gaming

 As far as football games go, this is the biggest development since the days of FIFA and PES going up against each other each year. EA won that battle – and there is a feeling that it will win this one too.

 

FIFA may have bitten off more than it can chew and it will need to come up with an interesting and unique product if it is to rival EA from next year.