This September 22 at midnight, EA Sports, the undisputed gaming giant, launched onto your screens with a new creation: EA Sports FC 24.
Exit FIFA then, and welcome to a new opus, not so different, except in terms of the name. But why did the American firm abandon the name that made it commercially successful?
Let’s take a look under the hood to understand.
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Money, a decisive factor
In the ruthless world of football, financial issues are always at the heart of the debates. This decision to change the name from FIFA to EA Sports FC 24 largely stems from a financial dispute between publisher Electronic Arts and FIFA.
For three decades, EA Sports has generously paid FIFA for the right to put its name on its flagship game. But during recent negotiations, the international football body demanded a substantial increase in this sum, which informed sources estimate between 150 and 250 million dollars, according to RMC.
A request which was categorically rejected by the video game giant, which will see its new opus have the same advantages: official licenses, stadiums, official teams and players will be present in EAFC 24.
A new generation FIFA by FIFA?
On the side of FIFA, the international football body has not remained idle. It announced its intention to entrust its valuable gaming license, now unused, to another publisher.
International Football Federation President Gianni Infantino said in March 2023, as reported by Times journalist Martyn Ziegler, that “the new FIFA games – FIFA 25, 26, 27 and beyond – will remain the best games video for young and old.
To date, no publisher has been officially designated by FIFA, although rumors suggest that 2K Games, already behind the famous NBA 2K series, could be interested.
