EA Sports
How FIFA's future will look after losing its license
We examine what will happen to EA Sports after losing the FIFA license and what we can expect from its next work, EA Sports FC, its spiritual successor.
FIFA 23 will mark the definitive end of the collaboration between the organization headed by Gianni Infantino and EA Sports. The breakdown of negotiations to renew the use of the license will lead Electronic Arts to take a new independent path, while FIFA will seek to keep its name on the covers of a video game for the highest bidder. We will look at what will happen to the video game we all know and how we can remain in touch with the most famous soccer simulator of the last few years.
Which video game will take over FIFA?
The spiritual successor of the FIFA franchise as we know it already has an official name: EA Sports FC. That will be the official name of the game developed by the original developers. If you are looking for FIFA 24 in 2023, you should know that it will be the one that will take the baton from everything you have learned in the franchise. Gameplay, licenses, structure... Everything will be encompassed in "The Club", as it is already called by some teams that have already confirmed their participation.
What happens to the licenses, which ones will be lost, and which ones will remain?
The FIFA franchise as we knew it until the 2022 release has always been the responsibility of its developers, EA Sports. This directly impacts the catalog of licenses it has built over the years. FIFA only ceded its name and allowed its product exclusive rights to the official elements of the World Cup, which they organize. However, getting the rest of the licenses has been the responsibility of the developer and its publisher, Electronic Arts.
Therefore, EA Sports FC will exclusively feature the Premier League, Serie A, LaLiga, Bundesliga, and MLS. During the publication of the information, the studio pointed out that "more will come" in the future, so the investment continues to rise. In addition, its database will have more than "19,000 players, 700 teams, 100 stadiums, and 30 leagues" licensed. As we pointed out, they will lose the World Cup unless they renegotiate with FIFA.
What will happen to Ultimate Team and its main game modes?
It is confirmed: Ultimate Team will be included in EA Sports FC. It will be one of the cornerstones of the experience, as has been the case in the FIFA franchise in recent years. Of course, its name will be altered, as its official name is currently FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT). EA Sports points out that this independent path "will bring fresh opportunity - to innovate, create and evolve," which suggests some new mechanics revolving around the item-based structure.
The presence of the Career, Club Pro and VOLTA Football modes has also been confirmed, thus ensuring the continuity of a good part of the identity up to now.
When will we get more details on EA Sports' "new era"?
We'll have to wait until the second half of 2023 to find out what the "new era" of EA Sports' soccer simulator is aiming at. More precisely, the team points to sometime in July, so Summer is the season chosen to detail exactly what this era of change consists of. At the moment, it has not been revealed which platforms it is targeting, although logic tells us that they will be the same ones that FIFA 23 has received: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.
What will FIFA do from now on?
FIFA is facing a major problem in its presence in the video game. They provided the license, but they have lost the muscle. When the news broke in May 2022, Gianni Infantino, the head of the organization, rushed to the news to declare that "the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans". Ambitious words when they have not yet confirmed who will take over the license in the traditional market.