EA has been partnered with FIFA on soccer game development for nearly 30 years, but a possible rebrand was in the news last fall due to license fees. As recently as this February, the company was thinking of ending the partnership — and now it has. FIFA 2023, due later this year, will be the final FIFA-branded soccer game from EA.
EA declared “a new era” with the announcement of EA Sports FC, which will be the rebranded name of the franchise going forward. EA promises that “everything you love about” its soccer titles will still be there, and from the wording of the announcement, that sounds quite true. Modes like “Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs, and Volta Football will all be there,” along with “the same great experiences, leagues, tournaments, clubs, and athletes.” Essentially, it’s only the FIFA name that’s being dropped here. That does mean major events like the World Cup could miss future EA titles, but they will still be included in FIFA 2023. We’ll have to wait for official word about 2026 from Electronic Arts before we know for sure the team’s plans. EA is working “with a large and increasing number of partners” in the soccer world, so the same clubs, players, and stadiums will still be a part of the rebranded franchise. The first game under the EA Sports FC banner is due for a summer 2023 release.
Of course, there’s still one more licensed FIFA game to go before then. In fact, EA Sports and racing executive vice president Cam Weber calls FIFA 2023 the “most expansive game ever” in the same announcement. At the very least, it’ll reportedly be the first one to offer cross-play when it launches later this year. For now, PlayStation Plus owners can grab FIFA 22 as part of May’s free game lineup.
