CEO of Electronic Arts Andrew Wilson gave a startling opinion over why he believes the company should consider parting ways with the popular brand, FIFA. Wilson was quite frank in his review towards personnel, and even with a 30-year relationship with FIFA, he feels the game impedes the company's growth.
Wilson is not new to nor holds shame when it comes to his comments regarding EA’s stance on things. In an international meeting this past November over the licenses with FIFA, he starkly commented that FIFA is “an impediment” to EA’s ambitions for the game series. And from an anonymous tip, Wilson also claimed that the only value EA received from the license in a non-World Cup year was “four letters on the front of the box”.
Although his additional comments were anonymously reported, and EA declined to confirm or deny Wilson’s statements, it was also said that Wilson suggested FIFA had barred EA from furthering its titles into modes other than the traditional 11v11. According to sources, EA and FIFA had been in a back and forth negotiation battle throughout last year, which began when EA made it public that it was considering ending the relationship with them in the future. Among their negotiations included EA demanding more rights to the game and FIFA backfiring with the request to double the payment for the license over the next decade at a whomping $2.5 billion.
In further comments by Wilson, he argued that separating from the FIFA brand could benefit its developers greatly, especially during years a World Cup would be involved in the game. In other words, Wilson feels that the brand provides no benefit due to license restrictions outside a World Cup game release.
Wilson stated in the November conference, “Basically, what we get from FIFA in a non-World Cup year is the four letters on the front of the box, in a world where most people don’t even see the box anymore because they buy the game digitally.” He further detailed how he felt FIFA could benefit on its own outside the restrictive terms in the FIFA license. However, if EA parts ways, there are signs that this will provide opportunities for other companies interested in taking over the license.
Wilson is skeptical that the company can agree to terms, although this year’s title will carry the FIFA brand name. In a previous official statement released in October, EA indicated that if it decided to split from FIFA, EA would keep all its other league, player, and stadium licensing because those are arranged separately from the brand negotiations. On top of that, it was revealed that EA had filed multiple trademark requests for "EA Sports FC," which could possibly be the rebranding title for a new football series if the companies were to separate.
Unfortunately, if negotiations aren’t resolved by the end of the current deal, fans can anticipate FIFA 2023 being the last installment in the football brand published by EA. Fans can only hope a resolution comes, one that works for EA, FIFA, and players.
FIFA 22 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Video Games Chronicle