Are FIFA matches over? Why Fifa 23 will be the last title for EA Sports and what’s next for the series
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EA Sports has announced that it will no longer manufacture FIFA-related games as the contract between the game studio and the FIFA expires.
Its soccer games will continue under a separate brand, ending a partnership that began in 1993 and has grown into one of the most successful games in gaming history.
FIFA included Guinness World Records The world’s best-selling sports video game franchise, with over 300 million copies sold worldwide.
The following marks the end of the partnership for future EA games.
Are FIFA matches over?
From next year, EA Football games will no longer be linked to FIFA.
EA indicated months ago that the relationship would be ending. The company’s current contract was set to expire after the World Cup in Qatar, as FIFA looked for higher revenue, and EA pushed to expand the FIFA brand into new areas such as NFTs and realtime gaming highlights.
FIFA was aiming to double at least the $150m (£121m) it receives annually from EA Sports, its biggest trading partner. Reuters The report stated that both sides had different expectations of what the new agreement should include.
EA and Fifa have agreed to continue their partnership until next summer’s Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.
FIFA has announced that it will release new football video games developed with third-party studios and publishers.
Several “non-simulated games are already in production” and are due to be released later this year.
What happens to EA’s soccer franchise?
EA will continue to create soccer games under the new name EA Sports FC from the year 2023.
EA said its licensing deals with 19,000 players, 700 teams and more than 30 leagues from around the world including the Premier League and La Liga are still in effect.
The contract with UEFA also remains in place, so the Champions League will continue to be part of the matches, although the World Cup will not be held.
“The worlds of football and the world of entertainment change and collide in our product,” said David Jackson, Vice President of EA Sports. BBC News.
“In the future, our players will ask us to expand this offering even further. For now, we are looking at gaming as the primary form of interactive experience.
“Soon, watching and creating content will be just as important to fans.”
He added that the new agreement would allow the company to build a “brand of the future”.
This also means that EA is free to sign its own branding agreements with other clubs, players or companies and retain official licenses that allow them to copy like real teams, unlike competing titles. Pro Evolution Soccer.
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