EA Sports is looking to purchase the rights to the famous English Premier League in order to be able to keep the most significant license for its next soccer game. This move comes as a response after EA Sports recently lost its FIFA license when the organization allegedly demanded $1 billion.
One of the most important features of a sports game is its licensing partnerships. After all, gamers are looking forward to playing with their beloved teams and favorite players. This is one of the reasons why FIFA has always outsold Pro Evolution Soccer throughout the years. Unfortunately for EA Sports, it has lost its FIFA license after having it for almost 30 years, which means that it has to reacquire the license for the English Premier League and change its next soccer video game name to EA Sports FC.
According to SkySports, Electronic Arts has agreed to pay a fee of £488 million (more than $588 million) in order to continue being the principal partner for the English Premier League and retain the virtual rights to most of the league’s teams. At an important meeting that took place this Friday, 20 Premier League clubs were informed that a new, 6-year contract with EA Sports will shortly be formalized. It was reported that EA Sports will pay more than £80 million ($96 million) a year for the deal, which is worth more than twice as much as the initial collaboration between the two parties.
The English Premier League is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world, having a significant worldwide following and being broadcast in more than 200 countries. It has a huge global appeal and is the most-watched soccer league across the globe, with some of the best soccer teams competing for the prestigious title every season. It is also the highest-paying soccer league, which is why it features some of the best players in the world. This means that the quality of the matches is always very high, and fans can expect to see several of the most recognizable players competing against each other. Finally, the English Premier League also has some of the most passionate fans in the world which make the atmosphere at the stadiums electric.
That being said, it is understandable why Electronic Arts wants to do everything in its power to retain the virtual rights of the most recognizable soccer league in the world. It remains to be seen if EA's next soccer video game, EA Sports FC, will reach the same level of success as its previous franchise.
EA Sports FC is in development.
Source: SkySports
