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»Fifa 22«: Many gamers first associate the name Fifa with the game, then with the world football association
Photo: Jakub Porzycki / IMAGO / NurPhoto
Some things have been reliable in the virtual soccer business since the 1990s.
For example, the fact that EA Sports brings new editions of its game »Fifa« onto the market year after year and asks football fans to pay again and again.
Or that "Fifa" means "Fifa", in the tradition of the first series part "Fifa International Soccer", which appeared in 1993.
Fifa, the name of the world football association, is for many a synonym for console football, for a video game bestseller.
In Germany alone, "Fifa 21", the second most recent part of the series, has sold more than two million copies.
In the long run, however, "Fifa" should disappear from the game charts, at least as a production of the manufacturer EA Sports.
As the company announced on Tuesday evening, it will not be renewing its name deal with the association after almost 30 years of cooperation.
"Fifa" will be called "EA Sports FC" in the future
The next game in the series will still be called "Fifa 23" when it is released this fall.
From the summer of 2023, however, EA will market its digital kick under a new name, as "EA Sports FC".
The "FC" appended to the manufacturer's name stands for Football Club.
EA Sports has thus renounced the world association, for whose license, according to media reports, it recently paid around 150 million dollars a year.
There had already been signs of a rift between the partners in the fall.
At that time it was said, among other things, that Fifa would demand significantly more money from EA Sports from 2023 for the use of its name than before.
David Jackson, who is responsible for the "Fifa" brand as "VP Brand" at EA Sports, told SPIEGEL that the negotiations with Fifa did not fail because of the license costs.
"Of course, money plays a role in every negotiation," says Jackson.
"But I don't think it was the deciding factor for either side."
The decision is final
"It's important that we have the freedom to create the most impressive experiences possible," said Jackson, explaining what drives his company.
As a license partner of Fifa, that was “not necessarily possible”.
According to him, EA Sports sees itself slowed down by the fact that, due to the name deal, it has not yet been able to decide independently of the association which third-party companies it will cooperate with for and around its football video game.
"We want to make sure we're onboarding many, many more brands and partners," Jackson said.
"If we want to partner with a specific sporting goods manufacturer, for example, we have to work with the one that Fifa prefers," Jackson said.
The official partner of Fifa in this area is Adidas.
The manager also cited the idea of a "soccer metaverse" as an example of an area where EA Sports would have more room to maneuver without Fifa.
The end of the Fifa deal is "a decision that EA Sports has made over the course of several years," Jackson said.
There is no turning back, announcing the new name is not a negotiating tactic.
The World Football Association itself has not yet publicly commented on the announcement of EA Sports.
EA's current Fifa license gives the developer the ability to embed the World Cup into their games.
EA Sports has secured the rights to more than 30 leagues and competitions such as the Bundesliga, Premier League and Uefa Champions League in parallel with the Fifa license.
The same applies to the stadiums of well-known clubs and also to player names.
According to its own information, EA Sports has around 300 license partners in the field of football.