The decision comes after a months-long dispute between the governing body and the game’s publisher, with a new trailer imminent.
Electronic Arts has reportedly greenlit the decision to rebrand/rename its FIFA franchise of games as ‘EA Sports Football Club.’ In his latest GiantBomb show, games journalist Jeff Grubb confirmed that the name change comes after some tension between the federation and EA, and has been confirmed internally.
Multiple trademark applications last year hinted that the AAA publisher was looking at a potential name for its footballing series – EA Sports FC. Grubb claims, at the time, he believed that it was for a new online feature. “I saw trademarks for it. I thought that could be just a feature like an online mode, but I asked around about it and that it. That’s the name,” he said in the video.
Licensing agreements between EA and FIFA usually lasts for 10 years and is expected to end after November’s Qatar World Cup in 2022. Grubb claims that the publisher is ready to move on with the new name and that a new trailer is pretty close. For comparison, usually, EA starts marketing its FIFA title in June, though this year fans could expect an early reveal.
The news comes following a VGC report last month, where EA CEO Andrew Wilson claimed that he was willing to drop the FIFA branding from its titles, calling it an “impediment.” He stated that the governing body had prevented the team from expanding its game modes beyond the traditional 11v11 matches. He also suggested that the only value the publisher ever got from the FIFA license in a non-World Cup year was the “four letters on the box.”
Rumours regarding this name change began in October 2021, following a financial dispute between the two bodies. According to ES, the FIFA branding and license was getting too expensive, with the federation demanding more than double the amount for the next decade-long term – about $2.5 billion.
As for the game itself, FIFA 23 is reported to come with crossplay support this year, enabling play between gamers on PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows systems. It is also expected to feature two World Cups – Men and Women, with the exclusion of Russian national teams and clubs.
Source: indianexpress.com