FIFA and EA Sports have announced that their partnership is coming to an end in the summer of 2023, after more than two decades of partnership and many memorable installations of a fan-favourite football game. 

As per a New York Times report, a number of reasons are behind this split. FIFA was reportedly seeking double the present licensing fee, that is, $150 million annually. Additionally, they wanted parameters on their license which would allow pursuing partnerships with different videogame developers, using the FIFA banner. EA Sports was not on board, and understandably so, considering the fierce competition it faces from the likes of PES (Pro Evolution Soccer), with the latter only coming undone due to the lack of a FIFA partnership which leads to some licensing issues. 

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The NYT report quoted Peter Moore, a former head of EA’s sports division saying “We have literally spent hundreds of millions of dollars building this and you’re telling me that Epic Games can come in and get a license to the name that we have built and that we have put front and centre and that has become synonymous with games?”. 

The two parties had different visions about the future of the game, with EA wishing to expand the current football experience under the FIFA brand by including actual game highlights and other products like NFTs, another NYT report stated.  

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With FIFA and EA Sports parting, the games will be renamed EA Sports FC, and Fifa 2023 will be the last of this partnership. Though the video game company believes their product will survive without the deal with FIFA, they haven’t ruled out a reconciliation down the line. 

Speaking of the final game, EA Sports said in a statement, “We are committed to ensuring the next FIFA is our best ever, with more features, game modes, World Cup content, clubs, leagues, competitions, and players than any FIFA title before.”