Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that the popular video game franchise FIFA will be renamed ‘EA Sports FC‘ next year.
This confirms the end of their 30-year relationship with soccer’s global governing body after both parties failed to reach an agreement.
FIFA 23 which is set to release in September will be the very last in its long-running series.
The company also announced that ‘EA Sports FC’ will launch in July 2023.
The New York Times reported that this comes after both parties were unable to reach an agreement on future plans—after months of “tense negotiations” regarding the extension of their current partnership.
“After nearly 30 years of creating genre-defining interactive football experiences, we will soon begin an exciting new era,” EA said in a statement.
“Next year, EA SPORTS FC will become the future of football from EA SPORTS. Alongside our 300+ license partners across the sport, we’re ready to take global football experiences to new heights, on behalf of all football fans around the world,” the company added.
However, even with the name change, EA Sports FC says it will continue keeping FIFA’s league, club, and player licenses, including “19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums, and 30 leagues”.
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