EA SPORTS will probably actually rename the FIFA series. The name change is becoming concrete, The name EA Sports FC has been secured as a trademark. After FIFA and EA boss Andrew Wilson have spoken out, it is now certain that EA Sports FC will indeed replace our FIFA.

Since the release of FIFA 22, over 9 million have plunged into the depths of the soccer simulation. A whole 7.5 million have even tried their hand at Ultimate Team mode. Even though 35 percent fewer discs have been sold this year, FIFA 22 has overtaken its predecessor in sales figures. For FIFA 22 there are these sick numbers already since the end of October – and nevertheless everything will soon be different

Because publisher EA Sports has concrete plans without FIFA. A revolution is coming: EA wants to rename FIFA!

In a press release from EA, Cam Weber, Executive Vice President of EA Sports, already explained in October that the publisher is reviewing the contracts for the naming rights with the International Football Association (FIFA) once again and is thinking about a possible name change.

The reasons are obvious: On the one hand, EA pays a large sum to FIFA every year to be able to use the name at all. On the other hand, the game series could use a new coat of paint – similar to what competitors did with PES with eFootball.

New name for FIFA series: EA Sports FC should be fixed
Every year, around 85 million euros flow into the coffers of the non-profit organization (LoL) FIFA. Sure, EA rakes in over 1.5 billion euros with FIFA Ultimate Team alone – every damn year. If the contract with the soccer federation has to be renegotiated, the price will pretty much certainly go up as well. The soccer simulation keeps growing and captivates several million people to the screen every year.

To avoid higher costs, EA can also choose the easier way and rename its successful game series like Konami. The Japanese manufacturer has decided to rename its Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) brand to eFootball and give it a new face.

Exactly the same thing is happening with EA, the FIFA series and the world football federation FIFA. We already reported that FIFA 23 will be the last FIFA. And according to arstechnica, EA insiders have confirmed the name “EA Sports Football Club”.

New brand: EA Sports FC will replace FIFA
So even though the sales figures are insane and EA is also swimming in money thanks to sick profits from FIFA Ultimate Team, the contract with FIFA, which expires in 2022, will not be renewed. The contract was last negotiated in 2013, after 31.12.2022 is the end. After more than 30 years of “FIFA” on our shelves and consoles, we will then have to get used to a new name.

The plans for this become concrete, because on the weekend of 09-10 October there was the official confirmation that EA has secured the name EA SPORTS FC as a brand. We don’t want to claim anything too spectacular but: The name change will actually come.

No, seriously, it all sounds very concrete – but of course it could be a negotiating tactic by EA. If they have concrete plans to rename the series, then FIFA will be in a worse negotiating position and may charge less for the naming rights. But it doesn’t look like that at the moment…

FIFA demands billions – New license agreement for EA Sports unrealistic.
As reported by the New York Times, FIFA is said to have significantly increased its demands. While the last contract ran for 10 years (about 850 million euros), the world federation now wants to demand more than double that. Meanwhile, 860 million euros are said to be due every four years. From FIFA’s point of view, one can understand the buzzer, after all, EA is now cashing in handsomely on its franchise. Will the publisher go along with it?

But it is allegedly not only about the money. Insiders have reported that FIFA doesn’t agree with EA Sports’ exclusivity demands. The association wants to limit EA’s monopoly and is looking for other ways to make money with its name. EA Sports, on the other hand, demands to be allowed to include different fun modes, for example. You can see: both sides have different ideas.

At the end of the year, the decision should be made. To reassure you: If EA Sports should really rename its franchise in the end, it won’t have such a big impact on the actual gaming. EA still holds an extremely large number of licenses to leagues, clubs and players, basically it’s just about the name of the game and the realistic representation of the World Cup. So the publisher can actually do without the license.

With its other sports games like Madden NFL or even NHL, such a dispute would have a more violent impact. Madden is based on two licenses – the rights to the league itself and the rights to the players. If EA lost one of them, the game would be over. So, in contrast, the dispute over “FIFA” is all about money… and maybe a bit of prestige.

Fun Fact: FIFA actually depends on the revenue from its contract with EA Sports. President Gianni Infantino has to somehow find 2 billion euros for his insane projects in the next few years. So a new contract would actually play into his cards.

FIFA will negotiate with “more than one developer
Meanwhile, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) has also spoken out. In an official press release, the association talks about “expanding the gaming and eSports portfolio.” The crux of the matter is the part about working with other developers:

“Technology and mobile companies are now actively competing to be associated with FIFA, its platforms and global tournaments. FIFA is working with various industry players, including developers, investors and analysts, to gain a long-term view of the gaming, eSports and interactive entertainment sectors.”
Boom. Announcement. FIFA is clearly making reference to the expiring licensing agreement in terms of naming rights with developer EA. We’re really excited to see where this naming thing will lead. As it looks, 2KSports could take the rights… Will we get a FIFA 2K23 soon?

The competition is not getting smaller for EA. Strikerz Inc. has announced a soccer game called UFL – ManCity star Oleksandr Zinchenko is the first official partner of it. In addition, there are the first plans to stir up the online market of soccer simulations with GOALS.

Will FIFA 23 be free to play?

In fact, Konami could play a very big role in this story. With the F2P model, the Japanese company has created a lot of momentum, and in the meantime, there were rumors that FIFA 23 would also become Free To Play. EA could then only concentrate on Ultimate Team and continue to rake in money with it.

FIFA 23 RELEASE – WHAT IS KNOWN SO FAR

FIFA 22 is still in full operation, but in the background the game makers of EA Sports are already working on the next part – FIFA 23 will be released in autumn 2022.
But under which name will the classic game be continued in autumn 2022? As things stand, it is not at all certain that the game will continue to bear the name of the world association FIFA. We have the most important information about FIFA 23 for you, why the game series will get a new name and on which consoles the next part of the soccer simulation will be available.

WHEN WILL FIFA 23 BE RELEASED?

We can’t give you an official launch date for the next part of the FIFA game series yet. EA hasn’t communicated much in this regard yet, so so far we can only assume that FIFA 23 will be released in the period between mid-September and early October 2022, just like its predecessors. In the past years, the latest launch date of a FIFA game was October 06.