Confirming many rumors that have been circulating in recent months, EA today announced a brand change for its hugely popular football/soccer franchise EA Sports FIFA. After decades of using the FIFA name, starting in 2023, players will find the latest entry sporting the name EA Sports FC (Football Club).
While describing the change as the start of an "exciting new era", EA kept emphasizing in today"s announcement that this is only a brand change and the content players have grown to expect from the yearly series will not be changing:
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. 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.
While the reason for this change was not explained by EA today, earlier reports have stated this is due to FIFA wanting to double its branding fee for the game to one billion dollars for each four-year World Cup cycle. Thanks to its contracts with organizations and thousands of players, EA is now going forward with the split.
As the change will go into effect in 2023, this year"s entry will still be called EA Sports FIFA 23. Like every year, EA is describing it as its most expansive entry yet, featuring new features, game modes, World Cup content, leagues, and more players than ever. Expect to see the new branding in July 2023.