ZURICH (AP) – Electronic Arts is suspending the release of its hugely successful FIFA video game under its current name, which means a split in one of the most successful and profitable partnerships in football after the parties failed to conclude a new licensing deal.
Instead, the California-based company said Tuesday that EA Sports FC will be introduced in 2023 after it will create its last game in partnership with FIFA later this year.
The license to play brings FIFA about $ 150 million a year – the largest commercial profit with an expected total revenue of $ 7 billion in 2019-2022 – although FIFA expressed a provocative tone in a statement issued hours after the announcement of the loss of this income.
FIFA has promised that “a number of new games without simulation (which) are already in production” and will be launched ahead of the 2022 World Cup, which will begin in Qatar in November.
FIFA has said it plans to create a “new game model”, citing the recent launch of its FIFA + streaming service.
“I can assure you that the only real real game called FIFA will be the best available to gamers and football fans,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
EA has been releasing FIFA for almost 30 years, and its love affair with tens of millions of gamers around the world helped the organization’s brand from Zurich when it was tainted amid a wave of arrests of football officials in 2015.
For generations of young people, FIFA is more of a video game than a sports facility.
Although EA Sports FC will not be able to include FIFA content, including the World Cup, it retains licensing deals with major football competitions, including the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
The Ad EA demonstrated the strength of this partnership with warm comments from the leaders of the Premier League, UEFA and the Spanish La Liga during the coordinated issue of tweets Hosted by dozens of football clubs used the slogan “We’re In The Club” to match the EA Sports FC brand.
“We are grateful for our many years of good partnership with FIFA,” said EA CEO Andrew Wilson. “The future of world football is very bright, and the fund around the world has never been stronger.”
Wilson promised “even more innovative and genuine experiences for a growing football audience”, while her future FIFA rival spoke of creating “new interactive experiences for fans around the world”.
“The interactive gaming and e-sports sector is on the path to unrivaled growth and diversification,” Infantino said. “FIFA’s strategy is to ensure that we can make the most of the future and provide a wide range of products and opportunities for gamers, fans, member associations and partners.”
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