EA Sports unveil new logo following end of 30-year deal with FIFA

EA Sports unveil new logo following end of 30-year deal with FIFA.

GAMING EA Sports unveil new logo following end of 30-year deal with FIFA

David Ben 22:29 - 06.04.2023

'Goodbye FIFA, Hello EA Sports FC' - EA Sports have unveiled the official logo of their upcoming soccer video game following their controversial split from FIFA.

The post-FIFA era is finally upon us as EA Sports have unveiled the new logo that will  begin the new flagship football video gaming franchise - EA Sports FC.

EA Sports and FIFA officially ended their 30-year partnership in May 2022 after the two parties fell out over the licensing deal.

EA Sports and FIFA have created some of the most iconic iterations of the successful video game franchise.

The split means that EA Sports can no longer use the name of football's governing body to title their franchise, which henceforth will be known as EA Sports FC.

EA Sports FC
EA Sports FC

EA Sports FC which is set to be the new game EA releases to succeed FIFA 23 also comes with a brand new emblem.

The new EA Sports FC logo takes inspiration from triangles - a shape synonymous with football tactics and culture.

The new "FC" logo is set to debut ahead this weekend’s football matches set to be played across the biggest leagues in the world, from the Premier League,Serie A,  LaLiga, German Bundesliga and Ligue 1 to the Women's Super League and the National Women's Soccer League.

"Through our long-standing partnership with EA SPORTS, we are able to bring fans around the world closer to the Premier League and we recognise the importance of the next generation in growing the future of football," said Richard Masters, the Premier League's chief executive.

EA Sports FC
EA Sports FIFA 23 background

Meanwhile, Pulse Sports previously reported that FIFA confirmed that they are working on a football game of their following their split from EA Sports.

The new game is said to rival EA Sports FC when it comes out and it will also maintain the name of the 30-year-old franchise.

Why did EA Sports and FIFA split?

EA Sports FC
EA Sports and FIFA split in 2022

According to The New York Times in October 2021, FIFA had started discussions with EA in the prior two years on renewing these rights towards an exclusivity deal but with several caveats that made negotiations difficult.

 Among FIFA's requests was increasing the exclusive license fee to $1 billion over each four-year period between FIFA World Cups, and limiting the scope of this exclusivity to association football simulation games.

However, while EA wanted to expand the branding into new video game ventures such as esports using the game, an area that FIFA wanted to either keep to themselves or license to other developers to expand their own revenues, FIFA issued a statement following this report that stated they had reached an impasse with EA on the negotiations.

EA Sports FC
FIFA President Gianni Infantino | FIFA Image

To that end, FIFA believed it was necessary that any license agreement "must involve more than one party controlling and exploiting all rights".

EA then considered abandoning the FIFA name would have little impact on the player experience since the league and team licenses would be unaffected, prompting the company to trademark EA Sports F.C, as a potential replacement name for the series with the last collaboration being the 2022 release FIFA 23.

What is EA Sports FC?

EA Sports FC
EA Sports FC

EA Sports FC is the brand new football series coming from EA, with FIFA 23 being the last entry in that franchise. 

FIFA 23 is the last installment of the partnership between EA and FIFA and its replacement won't arrive until late in 2023, according to reports.

However, EA has already shared details surrounding some of its licenses. 

EA has already announced that EA Sports FC will contain more than 30 leagues, featuring over 700 teams. 

EA Sports FC
EA Sports FIFA 23 screenshot

It will also have at least 19,000 players, and 100 stadiums. 

Competitions confirmed so far include the Champions League, Premier League (England), Bundesliga (Germany), and La Liga (Spain).

‘We’re incredibly excited to build the future of global football with all of you, and will be happy to share more info on EA SPORTS FC in Summer 2023. The future of the sport is very big and bright, and football fandom is reaching across every corner of the world. Global football has been part of EA SPORTS for nearly thirty years - and today, we’re ensuring that it will be for decades to come.’  Cam Weber, EVP, Group GM EA SPORTS & Racing said.

Eight individual clubs have confirmed their involvement in EA Sports FC, despite the distant release date. 

Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Toronto FC and Austin FC have all shared tweets committing themselves to the series, and promising more info to come in July 2023.

FIFA on the other hand has already released a statement to confirm that the FIFA series will continue, under the helm of a developer that is not EA.

The new FIFA series will also switch to a non-exclusive model - which means different development teams working on an assortment of titles under the FIFA banner.

Related content

Tags: