Electronic Arts finally drop the curtains on their famous FIFA series by unveiling the much-awaited EA Sports FC. But with this big reveal, the American game developers also announced their collaboration with UEFA, which could be disastrous for Konami.
FIFA 23 is the last game in the FIFA series, as Electronic Arts lost its long-time contracts with the Fédération Internationale de football association. But not wanting to lose their most beloved video game franchise, the American game company came up with the idea to rebrand this renowned series.
The FIFA series has been renamed EA Sports FC by the American video game company. Electronic Arts secured partnerships with several soccer leagues and clubs to continue the series under this new banner. However, the largest collaboration is with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
How EA Sports’ deal with UEFA can cause problems for Konami?
On July 13, Electronic Arts hosted the official reveal livestream for the upcoming EA Sports FC. At the event, they revealed signing an exclusive multi-year contract with UEFA. The latter is the governing body that oversees every level of European soccer. Now, EA will have access to one of the world’s most prestigious soccer events, the UEFA Champions League (UCL). The Barcelona Legend and UCL winner Ronaldinho attends the event with the Champions League Trophy to solidify this deal.
Now EA signing an exclusive contract with UEFA would prevent their rivals Konami from featuring UCL in their games. The Korean company had a four-year deal with the Champions League in the past, which they later lost to EA. But with the latter losing its iconic FIFA branding, many expected Konami to acquire these significant licenses to weaken their rivals even more.
That will no longer be the case, as Electronic Arts now has access to both the UCL and its female equivalent, the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL). Further, EAFC titles can also feature other significant European tournaments like Europa League and Europa Conference League.
Even if we ignore UEFA, EA Sports has secured exclusive multi-year partnerships with well-known leagues like LaLiga and the Premier League. Meanwhile, Konami only owns licenses for a few major clubs, like Barcelona, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich. However, EA owning the leagues would also allow them access to these clubs.
Do you think this move by Electronic Arts was disastrous for their rivals Konami? If you liked reading this, click here to find out about EA Sports FC spending $10 million for the development of soccer by clicking here.
