Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson believes the FIFA branding is a hindrance to the series. A new statement that increasingly prepares for the renaming of games in the future.
Once again, EA has come out in favor of a name change for future games Fifa. Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts, presented his arguments to his teams vis-à-vis the abandonment of the brand and therefore the end of the partnership with the football federation. An internal conversation revealed by our colleagues at VGC and the insider Tom Henderson.
A brand too heavy to bear
The CEO of EA would not have taken tweezers, indicating that it would be better to end this 30-year relationship with the International Federation of Football Association, because License at according to him summer a “obstacle to the ambitions of the franchise”. A shocking statement but argued.
According to little birds, Andrew Wilson would have said that all these years, FIFA had forced EA into a bunch of restrictions, thus curbing any development. Adding brands like Nike at the request of players? Not possible due to relationship with Adidas. Other modes than the classico 11 against 11? It’s no. Greater participation in “digital ecosystems” ? Same.
The FIFA license prevented us from doing a lot of this type of thing. Once again, FIFA is just a name on the boxbut it has prohibited us from developing in areas that players want.
Wilson reportedly (among other things) added:
Basically, the only benefit we get from FIFA when there is no World Cup, it’s four letters on a boxat a time when most people don’t even see the cover anymore since they buy the game digitally.
The abandonment of the FIFA brand, a subject that comes up on the carpet
In October 2021, EA was already preparing the ground for a name change, like its competitor eFootball (PES). Besides, it could be that the next games end up being called EA Sports FC. But according to VGC, the brand will be maintained for FIFA 23an episode that will apparently incorporate a men’s tournament and a feminine.
After this cuvée, which will be available before the World Cup in Qatar, things are getting worse. In an article in the NY Times, also published last October, the newspaper argues that negotiations between the federation and Electronic Arts are at a standstill. The publisher is demanding more rights, FIFA more money, twice as much, which all of a sudden explains the fact of campaigning for a rebranding.