EA Sports Breaks Three-Decade Partnership with FIFA
One of the most outstanding partnerships in the gaming industry comes to an end as EA Sports and FIFA will end their partnership. The news came from the gaming company on Tuesday, and the groups will be leading their separate ventures from now on. As per the terms, the beloved FIFA games from the developer will go by EA Sports FC.
The FIFA franchise is among the top-end game series loved by fans across platforms from PCs to every other gaming device. The franchise has delivered more than 40 titles with exciting gameplay and features over the last three decades. The long journey finally ends as EA Sports announced leaving FIFA last Tuesday.
Nonetheless, the developer will work with its naming rights partner for one more year to deliver one of the most voluminous games ever in the franchise. Afterward, the independent platform will look for new avenues to explore in the same area and bring fresh ideas for its future products. The upcoming products from EA are likely to keep to the identical outlook as it holds separate licenses with leagues from the United States, England, Spain, Germany, and the UEFA.
The official statement from FIFA also mentioned the one-year extension for the release of FIFA 23. The game will feature the upcoming world cup leagues organized by FIFA for women and men. In addition, the football regulator is looking for third-party game developers as it plans to drop its new major title within the next two years.
Although EA sports holds several other franchises like Madden, NHL, Formula 1, and PGA, FIFA remains at the top undefeated in terms of revenue and popularity. EA’s annual report from last year also emphasized that the FIFA franchise’s revenue is “material” to their business. According to the EA revenue report from The New York Times, the game has been responsible for $20 billion of the company’s revenue in the last two decades.
As FIFA President Gianni Infantino says, their name stands for authenticity for sports fans and gamers worldwide. He further hopes that FIFA’s title would help them market their subsequent products to a large audience. So, the company now has to find its way to the franchise’s fans while also staying ahead of the new competition.
The statement released by Cam Weber, Executive VP and General Manager for EA Sports and Racing, also thanked the 150 million fans who made their endeavors successful for the last few decades. Moreover, EA Sports also received endorsement from Nike, the global sporting goods manufacturer. DJ van Hameren, the executive VP for Nike, is expecting this partnership to be integral to helping communities partake in sports and gaming.
On the downside, Electronic Arts fell flat in the stock market following this announcement.
