EA Sports and FIFA have officially ended their partnership that brought gamers one of the most successful franchises. With both FIFA and EA still promising to deliver on FIFA 23, the future of the soccer games is now up in the air with EA committing to EA Sports FC, and FIFA planning on releasing games with different publishers. With this big shake-up, fans are expecting EA to revamp its gaming franchise and are hoping that FIFA’s next title will compete with EA’s dominance.
FIFA 23 will mark the end of a three-decade-long franchise and could set up a more competitive scene in the soccer gaming space. While EA will still retain many of the player, team, and stadium licenses, the dissolution of its partnership with FIFA could lead to changes that could give fans improvements and features they have wanted to see for a few years now. On the other hand, FIFA has the ability to partner with another publisher that can revolutionize the genre, similar to what happened with WWE 2K22.
Pros and Cons for EA Sports
Losing FIFA may seem like a big loss for EA Sports; however, the publisher is only really losing out on releasing future World Cup or Euro Championship games. After FIFA 23, EA will change the name of its annual release soccer game to EA Sports FC and will not need to rename the players, teams, or stadiums as it will retain those licenses. While the change of name does not look like it will have much of an impact, it can lead to massive changes to the EA Sports formula and give fans a unique experience.
EA Sports FC will need to start making significant changes to start competing with future FIFA titles that will be released from 2023 onwards. Luckily for EA Sports, it has the experience and foundation to make these changes and a loyal fanbase that is unlikely to jump ship. However, given the disappointment regarding the lackluster recent releases, FIFA has a chance to snatch away much of the player base if its games promise to deliver everything that fans have been asking for.
Pros and Cons for FIFA
FIFA will always be much larger than the gaming franchise that has given soccer fans a chance to experience playing as their favorite players. The brand name itself will undoubtedly attract a huge player base, and the relationship that FIFA shares with the players and teams of the game means that it has a way to create a more realistic game. Over the last few years, FIFA titles have been criticized for focusing on monetary gain rather than the offline game modes, and this will need to be something that FIFA needs to change.
FIFA’s biggest obstacle will be getting out of EA’s shadows as much of the publisher’s success came from the franchise. While FIFA will have no trouble finding a new publisher, ensuring that its new games will not be copies of EA Sports FC will be a challenge. Introducing new game modes, focusing on the offline modes that have been lacking, and providing exciting gameplay will be a difficult feat, but is possible with the right partnership. Furthermore, with UFL setting itself up to shake up the genre, FIFA will need to compete against a promising upcoming game and a publisher with the expertise to put out good games.
A More Competitive Climate
The sports gaming genre has had a lot of big publishers over the years from Yuke’s which released the popular Smackdown vs RAW series, and even Konami’s PES. However, in more recent years, EA Sports and 2K Sports have risen as the giants in the genre, so losing one of their biggest franchises could have a huge impact on the future of the genre. However, when it seems more likely that the publishers will simply trade these licenses, it is hard to see these industry giants falling. EA Sports now has an opportunity to seal a deal with WWE, something it has already attempted to get in the past, while 2K Sports could pick up the biggest sports game brand on the market.
So, if FIFA does decide to move over to 2K Sports, it could create a great competing market for soccer games and revitalize the rivalry that EA Sports had when competing against PES. It was during that era that FIFA titles started adding features that excited fans and released some of the best titles in the franchise. The competing climate will likely force both EA Sports and FIFA to put out the best games possible, which is a major win for fans.
EA Sports losing the FIFA license may not be as impactful as it seems, but it has the potential to revitalize the landscape of soccer games. Both EA and FIFA will need to put in a lot of work in creating new games and attracting fans. With FIFA 23 marking the end of an era, the dissolution of the EA Sports-FIFA partnership may be exactly what the fans need to get the games that will perfectly encapsulate their desires. Whatever the case may be, the future of the soccer gaming genre seems to be filled with hope and competition that can usher in revolutionary games and tons of content for fans.
FIFA 23 is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
