EA announced that the game would be renamed EA Sports FC and replace the annual FIFA release shortly after the divorce, which reportedly resulted from FIFA trying to more than double its $150 million (£119 million) licensing fee. This is expected to begin around September 2023.
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FIFA and EA announced the dissolution of their collaboration in May of last year. The news shook the already complex digital football exclusivity rights market, which has been dominated for decades by the conflict between Konami’s eFootball and the FIFA series of video games (formerly Pro Evolution Soccer).
EA announced that the game would be renamed EA Sports FC and replace the annual FIFA release shortly after the divorce, which reportedly resulted from FIFA trying to more than double its $150 million (£119 million) licensing fee. This is expected to begin around September 2023. (based on previous launch dates). If you need more information about Is EA Sports FC prepared to step into FIFA’s shoes? then read carefully, and don’t forget to share with your friends.
The technical aspects of the game are still a mystery to us and most likely won’t be until EA’s preview, which is typically held in July. But there are already many repercussions for the US gaming behemoth. One of them is: What will happen when thousands of fans and parents look up the most recent FIFA online this Christmas?
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In order to get its new brand name in front of as many people as possible, EA has started a marketing campaign. A component of that campaign was an activation that saw the opening of a brand-new football pitch for a primary school in London that was honouring Ian Wright and David Rocastle, two sporting legends. This new building, known as the Rocky and Wright Arena, was the result of a partnership between the Premier League Foundation and EA, which gave the EA Sports FC brand widespread exposure.
“We believe it’s essential to instil love for the sport and video game fandom at a young age, and we want to facilitate access for young people by creating a safe space where they can play football and cultivate what has become a lifetime passion for many.” David Jackson, VP of Brand at EA Sports FC.
However, the question that many esports industry watchers have is how the competitive environment surrounding EA’s game will change, particularly in the European market where the competition is fierce. To start, the free-to-play model has been chosen by GOALS, a brand-new football simulator that will launch in the next two years, to encourage player acquisition. The same has happened with Konami’s eFootball. More so than EA Sports FC, whose base game will cost £59.99 if the FIFA model remains the same, these rivals will hope to stake the claim that their esports ecosystems are truly open.
Even though things might change in the future, EA is still committed to the idea of a yearly boxed product release and sees no reason to change course. No one in our community has suggested that we change our business strategy, but if that changes in the future, we won’t be closing any doors, Jackson said.
There is no reason to think that this change in branding will have a significant impact on the fanatical player base of FIFA, the video game franchise. Konami’s eFootball has eight times as many concurrent and average players as EA’s game as of April 2023, and GOALS is still a few years away. The new esports branding may be of concern to both organisations and participants. Will viewers watch the FC Clubs Cup on television? Will fans of virtual football swarm to EA’s new esports circuit? National leagues like the ePremier League and the eSerie A will probably maintain their audience thanks to the current clubs that participate.
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