We've known it for a while now but soon, the iconic EA Sports FIFA series will be coming to an end. EA is dropping FIFA, and striking out on its own with EA Sports FC.
EA announced way back in May 2022 that the long-running EA Sports FIFA series will end after the release of FIFA 23. The publisher confirmed that it will be launching its own football series instead, named EA Sports FC, with the first instalment (likely called EA FC 24) launching this year.
The EA Sports FC 24 release date has been pegged for some time between August 1 and October 31, 2023, with EA seemingly sticking to its annual release strategy, that's served it so well over the course of the FIFA series..
Watch the exclusive EA Sports FC interview on YouTube
The EA Sports FC release will mark a seismic change for players who are so familiar with FIFA titles, but it's a change for the better according to David Jackson, VP of Brand at EA Sports, who tells Mirror Gaming that the break will allow the publisher to finally deliver on player expectations, after alluding to the series being held back by FIFA in the past.
A clean break
"There's a huge amount of energy in all of our studios, all over the world, to get after the ambition that we know we've set ourselves with this this new brand," David Jackson told Mirror Gaming in a UK exclusive interview.
"EA Sports FC is our future vision. I think we've done a very good job and had a great relationship over time with the FIFA organisation, but now's the right time for us to set a new path and chart our own path forward, be able to meet players expectations where they are, and we feel we can do that best through the lens of our own platform."
This isn't just PR speak; EA CEO Andrew Wilson has been incredibly vocal with staff about the publisher's vision for its FIFA games being hampered by the governing body. According to VGC, during an internal all-hands meeting in November 2021, Wilson said that what EA gets "from FIFA in a non-World Cup year is the four letters on the front of the box, in a world where most people don’t even see the box anymore because they buy the game digitally."
Outside of World Cup, EA has 300 other licenses that players engage with to an an even bigger degree. While he praised the relationship EA and FIFA have built, Wilson added the in terms of growing the franchise, "ironically the FIFA licence has actually been an impediment to that."
The vision for EA Sports FC sounds like it'll potentially pave the way into uncharted territory that EA is more than ready to take on, and is eager to do so.
Getting real
When we asked Jackson why fans should be excited about EA Sports FC, he pointed to authenticity as a key factor, but also stresses that breaking away from the FIFA brand will lead to innovation, and "new and engaging experiences" for players, echoing Wilson's comments from last year.
"It's a mindset shift for us. We now think very expansively about opportunity. And the areas that we would like to create experiences for fans in the future. We have a huge amount of confidence in what we're going to be able to bring to market later on this year.
"There are two things that are really important to us. And our players telling us are important to them.
"One is authenticity. So we have 19,000 players, we have 700 teams and 30 leagues in the game right now. That authenticity is paramount to an EA Sports experience and will continue to be in the future.
"The other thing that's super important to us is innovation and our ability to be able to create new and engaging experiences that fans tell us that they're expecting from us at EA."
EA Sports FC 24 is likely to be released in September 2024, but we're set to get a look at the game's new features in July. Only then will we be able to judge if EA has indeed met players expectations with the new title, and the new series.
