You can change the rules, but you can’t stop the game – or at least football fans thought until Fifa announced it would be splitting with video game developer EA Sports.
For the first time since Fifa International Soccer was released in 1993, there has not been a game released onto any console that carries the branding.
Fifa 23, released in 2022, appeared to be the end of an era. But luckily for players, there is still a chance to get a fix with EA Sports’ latest release FC 24 being much the same, according to our reviewer.
Indeed FC 24 – which has the distinct image of Erling Haaland on the cover – has all the proper teams, leagues, and players, the big championships, and the Ultimate Team mode.
But will there ever be a game called Fifa again?
Why is Fifa now EA Sports FC?
EA Sports originally paid a pittance for the name of Fédération internationale de Football Association (Fifa) to adorn their cover.
But, over 30 years, executives cottoned on to the cult juggernaut the series had become and began to demand EA paid more and more for use of their name.
The New York Times reported that the right to use the name would cost EA more than $1billion for each four-year World Cup cycle.
EA chose to cut loose and bank on the loyalty of players to follow the series to FC 2024 and beyond. A big draw of Fifa has been the licensed kits and players, which allowed the series to draw clear of Konami’s Pro Evolution series in the late 2000s, the latter featuring teams like North London Reds taking the place of Arsenal. And EA has been able to retain its advantage, at least for now, after making deals – including buying the rights to use the Premier League for $588 million.
It begs the question: what more Fifa could do if they did bring out their own rival game?
Will there be another Fifa game?
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has insisted that the game is not up and that more titles will follow bearing the iconic name.
He said: “I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the Fifa name, will be the best one available for gamers and football fans.”
He namechecked more titles to come under the name, including Fifa 2024, but at present there are no confirmed plans for a game using that exact name.
No developer has been given the green light to take the game on although it will not be EA, obviously, and Konami is still producing its Pro Evolution series under the name eFootball.
WWE 2K23 publisher 2K has been linked, according to GamesRadar. Chief executive Strauss Zelnick said: “We haven’t been in that sport before. And, erm, I think I’ll leave it at that today.”
