FIFA/EA - FIFA want more money! EA to rebrand annual game EA Sports FC/ FIFA to dev their own franchise going forward

Tomous wrote:

Preezy wrote:You've got to feel for Konami - they battled FIFA for years with PES and then they killed it just before FIFA itself goes south

Is FIFA going south?

At this point, i think they'll comfortably survive a name change to be honest.

Preezy wrote:

Tomous wrote:

Preezy wrote:You've got to feel for Konami - they battled FIFA for years with PES and then they killed it just before FIFA itself goes south

Is FIFA going south?

At this point, i think they'll comfortably survive a name change to be honest.

I meant EA. Perhaps "going south" was an exaggeration, but if your average casual goes into their local GAME for their annual trip to buy FIFA and they see "New FIFA" and "EA Football Game FC" they'll go for the name they've heard of. This can't be good for EA.

Jenuall wrote:Football Manager survived when they lost the name Championship Manager - even though Eidos kept putting out games with the Champ Manager brand the players knew that FM was the "legit" game

Preezy wrote:

Jenuall wrote:Football Manager survived when they lost the name Championship Manager - even though Eidos kept putting out games with the Champ Manager brand the players knew that FM was the "legit" game

How dare you even think of comparing the sacred FM master race with those filthy FIFA casual scumlords, blasphemer!

Dowbocop wrote:Rockstar (Grand Theft Score-to) - see Ubisoft!

Moggy wrote:

Dowbocop wrote:Rockstar (Grand Theft Score-to) - see Ubisoft!

Rockstar Present FIFA International Table Football

Video games publisher Electronic Arts says it is going to stop making Fifa branded football titles.

It is one of the most profitable brands in gaming history, but the cost of the licence was one reason why the decision was made to ditch the partnership.

EA will continue to make football video games, but from 2023 they will come under a new banner, EA Sports FC.

Fifa says it plans to release its own rival games, saying: "The Fifa name is the only global, original title."

EA Sports made the first Fifa game in 1993 and has been in charge of the franchise ever since.

While the gameplay mechanics and core modes of play will be similar to what players have come to expect in recent years, this change will likely see the title offer a broader range of other experiences, beyond just the ability to play.

Speaking to the BBC, David Jackson, vice president at EA Sports, explained that the studio thinks it's time to move in a different direction in order to build a "brand for the future".

Although the details of those experiences are vague at the moment, it's fair to assume that being able to watch real-life matches, experience Fortnite style live in-game events and have access to a broader range of branded in-game items are the kind of things EA would like to be able to offer.

Jackson says: "The world of football and the world of entertainment are changing, and they clash within our product.

"In the future our players will demand of us the ability to be more expansive in that offering. At the moment, we engage in play as a primary form of interactive experience. Soon, watching and creating content are going to be equally as important for fans.

"Under the licensing conventions that we had agreed with Fifa 10 years ago, there were some restrictions that weren't going to allow us to be able to build those experiences for players."

• Non-exclusive model allows new games to launch ahead of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™
• Licence extension granted to EA SPORTS for simulation football category only, allowing the launch of FIFA 23 later this year
• FIFA also engaging with publishers, studios and investors on development of major new simulation football title for 2024

For the first time, FIFA will launch new football video games developed with third-party studios and publishers, providing more choice for football and gaming fans in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.

A number of new non-simulation games are already under production and will launch during the third quarter of this year. The first is a tailored gaming experience featuring the biggest event on earth, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, which will bring new, interactive experiences to fans across the globe.

Following this initial unveiling, FIFA will launch further games and virtual experiences around this year’s FIFA World Cup. Additional projects are also under discussion with publishers ahead of next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™.

Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, said:

"I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans. The FIFA name is the only global, original title. FIFA 23, FIFA 24, FIFA 25 and FIFA 26, and so on - the constant is the FIFA name and it will remain forever and remain THE BEST."

“The interactive gaming and esports sector is on a path of unrivalled growth and diversification. FIFA’s strategy is to ensure we can make the most of all future options and ensure a wide range of products and opportunities for gamers, fans, member associations and partners.”

Alongside the new games, FIFA has granted a new short-term extension to existing publisher EA SPORTS to launch a new FIFA 23 title later this year, which will feature the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup competitions in one edition for the first time.

The recently confirmed extension with EA SPORTS is a new arrangement that grants rights for the simulation football category only, freeing up broader gaming rights for FIFA and different gaming publishers to launch new games and more deeply immersive experiences for fans and football stakeholders.

This new, non-exclusive licensing model follows on from an extended period of discussions between the parties relating to FIFA’s future gaming vision. As announced in October 2021, FIFA intends to work with a range of partners rather than lock up all gaming and esports rights exclusively with one publisher for the long term.

As well as launching a portfolio of new games during 2022 and 2023, FIFA is currently engaging with leading game publishers, media companies and investors in regard to the development of a major new FIFA simulation football game title for 2024.

FIFA’s new gaming model has been developed in parallel with FIFA+, the recently launched direct-to-consumer media platform.

Captain Kinopio wrote:What is EA actually losing out on from this. The name and the ability to do the World Cup?

I don't see any major consumer drop off happening because it's suddenly called EA FC 23 or whatever.

On the face of it, it looks like FIFA have just cost themselves a few bil.

I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans. The FIFA name is the only global, original title. FIFA 23, FIFA 24, FIFA 25 and FIFA 26, and so on - the constant is the FIFA name and it will remain forever and remain THE BEST.

jawa_ wrote:It'd be incredible if Konami got the FIFA "simulation football" licence... PES is back!