FIFA’s deal with EA is their biggest commercial contract
EA Sports are considering renaming their iconic line of FIFA football video games, according to the head of the gaming company.
The news comes just a week after EA released their latest edition of the game, FIFA 22, which already has 9.1 million players.
But in a detailed statement released on Thursday, Cam Weber, the head of EA Sports, revealed that the company are considering the idea of rebranding the series as part of a general review of their “naming rights arrangement” with world football’s governing body.
This could be a real blow to FIFA, with their deal with EA currently the biggest commercial contract they have, with a worth of more than $100 million (£73.6 million) a year.
The statement reads:
“Through years of building our global franchise, we also know that authenticity is essential to the experience.
“That’s why we focus so much energy on the collective strength of over 300 individual licensed partners that give us access to 17,000+ athletes across 700+ teams, in 100 stadiums and over 30 leagues around the world.
“We continually invest in the partnerships and licenses that are most meaningful to players, and because of that, our game is the only place you can authentically play in the iconic UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, CONMEBOL Libertadores, Premier League, Bundesliga, and LaLiga Santander, among many others
“The breadth of our partnerships and our ecosystem of licensed content will enable us to continue to bring unrivalled authenticity in our EA SPORTS football games, now and for many years to come.
“As we look ahead, we’re also exploring the idea of renaming our global EA SPORTS football games. This means we’re reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA, which is separate from all our other official partnerships and licenses across the football world.
“The future of football is very big and very bright. Our priority is to ensure we have every opportunity to continue delivering the world’s greatest interactive football experiences.”
https://twitter.com/zhugeex/status/1446028001897025539
EA have produced annual editions of FIFA games every year since 1993, along with a number of spin-offs.
If EA were to rename the series, it would be following the thinking of Konami, who recently renamed their Pro Evolution Soccer – or PES – games, changing the brand to eFootball.
Although it looks like FIFA is still streets ahead on player likeness if these screenshots are anything to go by…
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