The FIFA series could go through major changes in the future, namely if EA and FIFA cannot agree on an extension of the official license. However, the publisher is of the opinion that this has already become an obstacle to the further development of the franchise.
Andrew Wilson, the CEO of Electronic Arts, has apparently commented internally on the still topical issue of the official FIFA license, from which the successful FIFA series has benefited for many years. In the future, however, the football franchise could appear under a different name and do without this license if the parties cannot agree on an extension. And that, according to the publisher, would also open new doors.
In an internal meeting in November, Wilson is said to have been critical of the FIFA license. Although they have “had a great relationship with FIFA over the past 30 years”, it has recently been “a struggle” when it came to convincing FIFA of their own ideas for the football series. The background to this is that, according to FIFA, the EA license “only covers certain categories”.
With regard to the future of the franchise and its own ideas, “ironically, the FIFA license presented itself as a handicap,” Wilson continued at the meeting. For example, players would like more cultural and commercial brands from their own markets, but a thorough integration of such is not possible due to the FIFA license. As an example, Wilson cited that many players would like more content from Nike, but FIFA’s relationship with adidas prevents that.
New game modes beyond the classic 11v11 also require a lot of convincing due to the license, which FIFA believes is limited to certain categories. It is difficult to set up the game more broadly for the future due to FIFA’s exclusionary attitude.
Finally, Wilson says: “FIFA is just the name on the box but they have ruled out our ability to push into the areas that the players want.”
It is generally assumed that this year’s title will still carry the FIFA branding. However, Wilson does not rule out a rebranding of the game for the future. He promises more content, more sales and more fans. EA can work with many more partners and, for example, also deliver new game modes.
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