As one of the most prestigious and influential series of games under EA, FIFA has been widely popular with fans since its birth, and is undoubtedly EA's golden signboard and its important "New Year" products, and in the past 30 years of product iteration, FIFA has also brought more than $20 billion in revenue to EA.
This game series was first born in 1993, called "FIFA International Soccer", which is also the first game licensed by FIFA (FIFA), and then, in the development of nearly 30 years, the "FIFA" series has always maintained a thunderous "year change", although each generation seems to be a bit of a soup change, but it can still get the favor of the majority of fans, the latest work released on October 1 last year "FIFA22" It became the highest-selling console game in the UK that year, with more than 9.1 million players in its first week.
However, it was at a time when the series was in full swing that EA was coldly announcing that it would abandon the name "FIFA", and EA said in an official statement shortly after the release of FIFA 22 last year that "looking ahead, we are also exploring the idea of renaming the global EA Sports football game." This means that we are revisiting our attribution agreement with FIFA. ”
On the one hand, it is the momentum of the game that is applauded, and on the other hand, it is the undercurrent of authorized cooperation. The nearly 30-year "love run" between EA and FIFA has also come to an end, and FIFA 22 may also have started the countdown to this series of titles.
In 30 years, how did EA and FIFA break up?
In fact, as early as October 1 and 4 last year, EA submitted a trademark application for "EA Sports FC" video game software to the British Intellectual Property Office and the European Union Intellectual Property Office respectively, which may be regarded as the beginning of the separation of the two, a week later, EA unilaterally said that it would explore the idea of rebranding, and according to a number of people familiar with the matter, at the same time EA Sports EXECUTIVE president and general manager Cam Weber made it clear in a letter, Since EA and FIFA have repeatedly encountered a wall in more than two years of contract renewal negotiations, the cooperation between the two sides will also come to an end after the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Weber also said: FIFA will become FIFA without FIFA.
After the above incident for another week or so, FIFA officials are also a bit "unable to sit still". On October 16, FIFA published an article on its official website about "expanding the gaming and esports portfolio", where FIFA said that after a comprehensive strategic assessment of the gaming and interactive entertainment market, FIFA is optimistic about its long-term future in the gaming and esports space, in addition, "FIFA is working with a variety of industry players, including developers, investors and analysts, to build a long-term view of the gaming, esports and interactive entertainment industries." The result will ensure that FIFA has a range of suitable parties with professional capabilities to actively shape the best experiences and products for fans and consumers. ”
In this statement, FIFA is also proud to say that the names of football games and FIFA are intertwined in nature. This article may be seen as a side response to EA's problems and does not touch on EA's FIFA series.
Since then, the two have become a bit strange, with EA actively working with "more than 17,000 athletes from more than 700 teams, 100 stadiums and more than 30 leagues around the world" to continue to create the most authentic football experience for players, including "long-term renewals" with the International Federation of Professional Footballers FIFPRO, which can provide player adaptations for the game.
Scatter or scatter? Whether it is a question of money or not
When it comes to the reasons for the EA and FIFA break-up, money naturally cannot be ignored. According to people who are aware of the negotiations, FIFA hopes to get more than twice the current contract amount from EA, and according to the previous 10 years of signing cycle, EA wants to renew at least $2.5 billion or more. Although this fee is not a problem, it is clear that EA does not want to come up with it.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson said he had spoken to FIFA president Gianni Infantino once weeks ago when he took a stand: Money is one thing, but we don't want to pay more than the value of this "license.".
Of course, there's the second half of what the CEO said — "More importantly, about our ability to deliver the games and experiences our fans want in a timely manner." "It also shows the second, and perhaps more important, reason for the breakdown of cooperation between the two sides, namely, the limitation of the scope of the mandate."
You know, the FIFA series only brings EA the game name, logo and quadrennial World Cup broadcast rights in terms of licensing. Andrew Wilson also said at an internal company meeting last November that one of the most important things he learned about the state of licensing negotiations with FIFA was that FIFA licensing has been an "obstacle" to EA's thriving game series. This is mainly because FIFA prohibits EA from "over-expanding" the game, not allowing it to extend it beyond the "broader digital ecosystem" of the traditional 11V11.
This may also be the main reason why the recent FIFA games always seem familiar, after all, in addition to the traditional gameplay of the game, EA also wants to continue to expand the game ecology, such as providing NFT products, creating game competitions, developing more gameplay, etc. EA also revealed that due to the many restrictions on FIFA licensing, it has become difficult for EA to add anything new to the game - it needs to submit an application to FIFA and wait for approval, but it is often slow. Moreover, leaving FIFA would be more beneficial to companies, players and developers, especially in years without the World Cup.
Andrew Wilson also claimed that "FIFA" is nothing more than four letters printed on the game's box, "In this world, most people don't even see the box anymore because they buy the game numerically." ”
The favored always have no fear, leaving FIFA or FIFA?
Will EA, which parted ways with FIFA, lose its initiative in the field of soccer games? The answer may be no, as mentioned above, FIFA's cooperation with EA licensing has not led to innovation in the content level of FIFA games, which are related to more than 300 licensing agreements with different leagues, players and clubs held by EA, such as the Champions League, domestic leagues and global competitions UEFA (European Football Association Federation). These protocols allow EA to use player names and preferences, world-renowned clubs, and major leagues in the game.
EA's authorization density and breadth in the field of football will not match the opponent in a short period of time, the original intention of "authenticity" has not changed is undoubtedly an important factor in its excellent market performance, for EA, leaving FIFA may really only mean a change in the name, but for players bathed in the spirit of the "FIFA" series of football, the game they like may not be important to change the name.
Andrew Wilson is equally confident about this, saying, "Fifa is a video game that makes even more sense as a soccer governing body." We don't take it for granted, and we try not to be arrogant. ”
"FIFA 23" or will become the last cooperation between the two sides, the game will also be officially released this year, it is worth mentioning that according to people familiar with the matter, this time the game will join two FIFA World Cup competitions - men's and women's events, of course, the previous "VOLTA Football" and "Ultimate Team" mode will also be retained, but will not make major changes.
Whether leaving FIFA can really bring new developments to the series is still unknown, although EA's announcement of the license has hindered their pace in building a digital ecosystem, and it is still unknown how much the FIFA series can bring to fans after getting rid of the SHACKLEs of the FA, but with the strong debut of "UFL" that will be released in 2022, this free-to-play game, which Strakerz Studios claims to have been developed for 5 years, may also bring EA Sports a lot of challenges." The road to EA Football may be about to usher in a new beginning.
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