A new statement from FIFA’s president makes it clear that the long-running franchise isn’t going away any time soon, with soccer’s governing body planning on launching its own rival soccer game. Despite the ongoing drama over the franchise’s future following EA losing the FIFA license, the latest entry has proven to be a success, with FIFA 23 on track to become the best-selling title in franchise history.Debuting on the Sega Mega Drive in 1993 as FIFA International Soccer, EA’s series of licensed soccer games would eventually grow to become the best-selling sports game franchise in the world. While the quality of series’ entries has sometimes varied wildly from year to year, FIFA’s annual releases have been one of the best ways for gamers to experience digital soccer for decades. Following its recent loss of the rights to the FIFA franchise, EA will be releasing its own EA Sports FC games featuring licensed players from various football clubs.A new tweet from reporter Martyn Ziegler of the UK paper The Times features a quote from FIFA president Gianni Infantino stating in no uncertain terms that the FIFA franchise will not be going anywhere any time soon. Making it clear that soccer’s governing body intends to give EA Sports FC a run for its money, Infantino is quoted as saying that “The new FIFA game – the FIFA 25, 26, 27, and so on – will always be the best egame for any girl or boy, we will have news on this very soon.” Already looking to fend off threats from the now-rival FIFA franchise, EA has been in talks with English Premier League to license its teams for future soccer games.
Responses to Infantino’s statements were mixed, with soccer fans clearly divided over which franchise would come out on top. Poking fun at Infantino’s unusual choice of terminology, one reply shared a photo of the Commodore 64 game Emlyn Hughes International Soccer, joking that “FIFA 25 already looks great, I love a good egame!” Referencing FIFA’s reputation for being laser-focused on wringing money out of soccer fans, another comment quipped that they couldn’t wait for “Gianni Infantino Power Soccer 25 with NFTs stuffed in there.” Other commenters were still loyal to the FIFA franchise, though, with one commenter stating that they would never buy a copy of EA Sports FC.
While it remains to be seen whether fans will still flock to FIFA games without EA at the helm, it's clear that FIFA president Gianni Infantino has high hopes for the long-running franchise’s future. For soccer fans looking for a bit of levity to get away from all the business drama around the franchise, luckily FIFA 23 has a hilarious Easter egg that might bring a smile to their face.
FIFA 23 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.