The mob apparently charges more than EA can stand for naming rights.
This year’s FIFA games will be the last to bear the organization’s name – at least from Electronic Arts.
In a statement on the EA website, the company confirmed today that starting in 2023, the licensed soccer game will be branded “EA Sports FC”. Existing exclusive agreements with top soccer federations (the English Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, and Italy’s Serie A among others) as well as the United States and Canada’s top flight, Major League Soccer, will remain in place.
FIFA and EA’s partnership in the soccer/football realm dates back to 1993, with the release of FIFA International Soccer for the Genesis / Mega Drive. In recent years, the cost of the license has dramatically increased, with an October 2021 report in the New York Times (possible paywall) claiming FIFA’s fee for a World Cup cycle’s worth of naming rights being US$1bn – alongside rumors of a possible biennial World Cup rather than the 4 year gap the tournament currently has.
The FIFA series first reached a Nintendo system with 1995’s FIFA 96 for the Super Nintendo and Game Boy, and has been a regular release for most Nintendo systems barring the Wii U (a launch day release). In recent years, FIFA titles have been released as “Legacy Editions” on Switch – with updated rosters but the core gameplay of 2018’s FIFA 19.
No platforms were identified for the release of the last FIFA game in the EA announcement.
