After many years of EA releasing soccer/football games under the FIFA banner they are finally renaming the series to EA Sports FC. Although the next release in the franchise (FIFA 23) will still be under the FIFA moniker, starting in 2023 the EA soccer games will use the EA Sports FC title. The name change comes after the naming rights for FIFA were renegotiated with EA.
According to EA, EA Sports FC will retain many of the modes that made fans fall in love with the FIFA series, such as Ultimate Team, career mode, and Pro Clubs. They will also retain the rights for more than 19,000 players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums, and 30 leagues. Including leagues such as the MLS, Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, etc.
Cam Weber, Executive Vice President and Group General Manager at EA Sports, said “This is much more than just a change of symbol–as EA Sports, we’re committed to ensuring EA Sports FC is a symbol of change. We’re dedicated to meaningfully reinvesting in the sport, and we’re excited to work with a large and increasing number of partners to expand to new authentic experiences that bring joy, inclusivity, and immersion to a global community of fans. I look forward to sharing more detail on these plans in the coming months.”
The title change has allegedly occurred due to FIFA asking for $1 billion dollars to use the FIFA branding in their sports titles, a fee that they would have had to pay every 4 years to keep using the name. This seems like an exorbitant amount of money considering that EA does not need the FIFA name to incorporate international leagues and teams in the games since EA already has individual contracts with most leagues and players across the world.
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