Electronic Arts has announced that it is launching a new franchise called EA Sports FC that will replace its long-running series of EA FIFA games, but there's still one more FIFA game to go -- FIFA 23 is still expected to come out later this year.
Late last year, Electronic Arts started talking about changing the name of its FIFA franchise. EA later indicated that it may be due to a licensing issue; then, FIFA came out and said that it was expanding its licensing to more developers. Now, we know the results of these behind-the-scenes discussions and negotiations: the next EA FIFA game will be the last and the long-running soccer franchise is getting a new name in 2023.
What's Happening With the EA FIFA Games?
The next EA FIFA game (presumably titled FIFA 23) will be the last game under that branding. After that, Electronic Arts is renaming the franchise to EA Sports FC.
"Next year, EA SPORTS FC will become the future of football from EA SPORTS," read today's announcement. "Alongside our 300+ license partners across the sport, we’re ready to take global football experiences to new heights, on behalf of all football fans around the world."
"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," the announcement continued, "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."
EA promises that this will be "meaningfully reinvesting" in the sport with its new endeavor. Today's announcement was light on specific details, but we heard reporting earlier this year that FIFA 23 would have Crossplay for all game modes; presumably, that trend will continue with EA Sports FC.
When is the FIFA 23 Release Date?
The FIFA 23 release date has not yet been revealed. It has previously launched its soccer games in late September or early October, so we can probably expect the same for the final FIFA game from EA.
When is the EA Sports FC Release Date?
The EA Sports FC release date will be sometime in July 2023; a more specific release date has not yet been announced. More details about EA Sports FC will be shared next summer.
For now, the move away from FIFA branding represents a massive change for one of Electronic Arts' biggest franchises. We're sure to see some competition in the space now that other developers will be able to start making their own FIFA games. You can play the latest release in EA's franchise by buying FIFA 22 for PC and consoles right now starting at $59.99 or your regional equivalent.
