EA Sports and FIFA announced an end to their partnership after almost 30 years of releasing memorable instalments of football games. With FIFA walking away from the table, the video game developers are renaming the future versions to EA Sports FC. 

However, games like Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) have also been around for a long time without a FIFA partnership, and they’ve always been slightly different from EA’s offerings. Thus, the recent news has fans concerned about the changes in the coming games. 

Running over the same old grounds 

While the FIFA brand might no longer be associated with EA’s offerings, the game developers have separate deals with 300 leagues and clubs around the world. 

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Thus, gamers can expect to see stadiums, players, teams, and jerseys, as they appear in real life. 

An EA game by any other name

In a statement, EA Sports said, “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”, adding, “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.” 

The leagues and clubs show support 

Among the major leagues that have shown support to EA is the Premier League, with chief executive Richard Masters commenting “EA Sports is a long-term and valued partner of the Premier League, and we look forward to continuing to work together in the new era.” 

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EA Sports also has a deal in place with the European governing body UEFA, so players can also participate in the thrill of the Champions League in-game. 

Clubs and brands have also come out in support including current Champions League finalists Real Madrid and Liverpool. They’ve both tweeted saying they are “in the club”. 

Major League Soccer (MLS) and Nike have also announced a continued partnership with EA Sports after the FIFA split. 

The one that gets away 

With FIFA gone, the only licensing that’ll go is the World Cup and international teams. However, there is a chance that the two sides might come to an agreement for this specific licensing, rather than a full-fledged branding. 

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“We’d love to continue to represent the World Cup through the game”, EA Sports chief executive Andrew Wilson said while announcing the split.