EA Sports announces first soccer game without FIFA tag

EA Sports has unveiled the rebrand of its soccer tags, the first since the company parted ways with FIFA. In the past, the FIFA video game franchise was the most popular sports video game in the world. However, the split means the two former partners are now competitors, as FIFA plans to create its own video game.

Regardless, EA Sports’ new title, EA SPORTS FC, caters to the global audience of more than 150 million players across multiple platforms. While losing FIFA does take away some licensing, EA SPORTS FC still has over 19,000 licensed players from 700 teams across 30 leagues. That includes top competitions and partners such as the Premier League, LaLiga, NWSL and CONMEBOL.

The new identity, vision and logo of EA Sports’s soccer video game takes inspiration from triangles. According to the EA Sports press release, this is a dominant shape in the culture of soccer, representing the game in multiple dimensions. That includes passing techniques, set plays and more.

In the near future, the EA SPORTS FC brand will roll out across more than 100 matches. For example, the badges on the sleeve of Premier League referees may display the EA SPORTS FC logo, which is a triangle.

The first edition of the game itself usually does not come out until the fall. However, it could come out as early as July 2023 right before the new seasons start.

EA Sports without the FIFA brand

The partnership between FIFA and EA Sports started way back in 1993. The game is wildly successful, especially considering the microtransactions within the game. In the past, FIFA earned $150 million annually from EA Sports. However, the world’s governing body for the sport wanted to up it to $250 million per year, and that caused a rift in the relationship. Over the past two decades, the game earned $20 billion in sales.

At the time of the separation, EA Sports said its game would continue to be the forefront of soccer video games.

“Our vision for EA Sports FC is to create the largest and most impactful football club in the world, at the epicenter of football fandom,” said EA chief executive Andrew Wilson.

However, FIFA President Gianni Infantino responded. He said FIFA’s own game will be the best in soccer gaming.

“I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans,” said Infantino.