The end of an era is coming…and fast. With EA’s FIFA license expiring next year, the sports gaming behemoth has one final chance to rewrite its checkered legacy with the FIFA brand.
Ever since 1993, EA Sports has had the exclusive rights from FIFA (the organizing body of world football) to create, manufacturer, and distribute football video games across the world. To this day, EA Sports’: FIFA game has earned the company over $20B in revenue sales alone. That does not include the billions upon billions the company has earned from loot boxes, pack openings, etc. from the Ultimate Team stores and modes.
Simply put, this is one of the most successful sports entity-video game developer partnership of all time. Even with similar (and in some circumstances better) competitions, such as Football Manager and PES, EA has continued its domination over the video game world of international football.
Yet, it has not come without controversy.
EA has been ridiculed and lambasted over the years for its over reliance on expensive “loot boxes” that forces players to spend hundreds of dollars to stay be able to field competitive teams in the Ultimate Team modes. Their loot box reliance has gotten so bad that now the US Government and the European Governments are starting to investigate and sue the company for malicious practice.
But these governments won’t have to fear about EA and FIFA’s less-than-pristine (in terms of controversy) partnership too long as, by 2023, the deal will be dead.
EA and FIFA were unable to agree to a new deal that would renew the licensing agreement, thus condemning the EA: FIFA brand to an unceremonious conclusion…. if it’s bad.
If it’s good, however, then this game could cement EA’s legacy as the one, true football game creator in the world today.
With EA forced to rebrand the FIFA games as EA Sports FC, the entire football video game field has been blown wide open for competition as everyone has become accustomed with FIFA and EA being the “official” football game to buy. Now, we (as video game lovers) know the two will be the same thing, but will non-FIFA fanatics?
Will the parents of an 11-year-old football superfan know to actually get EA Sports FC when their kid asks for FIFA, which will probably be a whole other game by a different studio in a few months/years? I’m not so sure.
That is when PES, Football Manager, and this new FIFA branded game will strike as EA’s brand recognition will be at an all-time low. The company’s football sales will be in free-fall if these rival companies are able to create better, more accessible games with better brand recognition.
In truth, brand recognition and exclusive licensing has saved EA from facing stiffer competition from PES and other football simulation games.
However, everything I just said will be meaningless (well, more than it usually is) if EA is able to create their greatest FIFA game to date.
By adding new game modes (which they already are in the World Cup, Women’s World Cup, and Women’s Club Team Careers), revolutionize the career modes (which I haven’t seen them commit to yet), and market EA Sports FC properly in FIFA, then the transition between FIFA and EA Sports FA should be smooth and efficient.
Every kid playing FIFA 23 will know that EA Sports FC is the true successor to the FIFA franchise that EA made so famous, and not look to other companies for a new game. As long as it is good!
If EA makes a bad (or worse, mediocre) game, then they’ll face significant challenges from new and old competitors vying to take their title as “King of The International Football Video Game Seller”.
We’ll see if EA helps or hinders their legacy on September 28 when the last FIFA releases.
Images Source: Featured Image: (EA Sports) (FIFA 23 Reveal Trailer | The World’s Game – YouTube)
