EA and FIFA Officially Split, New Name Announced

By Tanner Dedmon

Electronic Arts and FIFA, the organization governing the highest level of competitive football, have officially ended their partnership. The two will deliver one more FIFA game from the publisher that'll release this year, but after that, EA Sports will begin work on a new chapter for the publisher and developer: EA Sports FC. This new name and the end of the FIFA partnership was confirmed this week following previous reports that indicated this sort of announcement was coming.

EA talked about its plans for the future of its football/soccer games in an announcement shared on the publisher's site wherein the split from FIFA was confirmed. The publisher said it'll deliver "the most expansive FIFA ever this year" while working with the football organization once more, but after that, it's on to EA Sports FC.

This new name for the EA series was also referenced in past reports that were right on the money with what the games would be called whenever the FIFA partnership was done. In its announcement, EA reassured those who'll be keeping an eye on next year's game that the partnerships and modes that defined the FIFA games will remain intact in the first EA Sports FC title.

"Everything you love about our games will be part of EA SPORTS FC – the same great experiences, modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes will be there. Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA Football will all be there," EA's announcement said. "Our unique licensing portfolio of more than 19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues that we've continued to invest in for decades will still be there, uniquely in EA SPORTS FC. That includes exclusive partnerships with the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A, the MLS – and more to come."

The announcement continued to say that the publisher is "dedicated to meaningfully reinvesting in the sport" and that partners are lined up to achieve this goal. While there's obviously already planning underway for the first EA Sports FC game, EA also reiterated that the current focus is still on the next FIFA game.

"EA SPORTS FC will allow us to realize this future and much more…but not before we deliver our most expansive game ever with our current naming rights partner, FIFA, for one more year," EA said. "We are committed to ensuring the next FIFA is our best ever, with more features, game modes, World Cup content, clubs, leagues, competitions, and players than any FIFA title before."

The first EA Sports FC game will release in 2023.

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