EA’s potential FIFA rebrand reportedly stems from FIFA asking for $1 billion for naming rights

Final week, Digital Arts reported the corporate was potentially rebranding its popular FIFA brand of sports games because it evaluations the naming rights settlement with the Fédération Internationale de Soccer Affiliation (FIFA).

Based on a brand new report from the New York Times, this rebrand hinges particularly on FIFA asking for $1 billion each 4 years to license its properties. This new deal would additionally reportedly embody limitations on ways in which EA might monetize the sport exterior of its preliminary sale.

The NYT famous it had talked to “a number of folks near the negotiations” and found that after a minimum of two years of renewal negotiations, there’s a actual probability that the branding might change following the FIFA World Cup in Qatar subsequent November. This may finish the present 10-year settlement and see EA lose entry to the branding managed by FIFA, which incorporates the secret franchise itself. 

If this licensing deal does find yourself falling by, It received’t have an effect on the developer’s potential to make use of participant likenesses, participant names, formally branded stadiums, group names, and different licenses, which EA has negotiated separate offers with firms like FIFPRO, the worldwide consultant for professional soccer gamers. 

EA has labored with the FIFA model since 1993, and annualized the FIFA franchise in 1997, releasing new titles as not too long ago as Oct. 1 with FIFA 22. The video games are massive hitters, promoting thousands and thousands of copies and producing billions of {dollars} in income yearly. 

Konami rebranded its Professional Evolution Soccer (PES) franchise to eFootball earlier this 12 months, and EA beforehand trademarked the identify EA Sport FC in Europe simply this month, according to VGC.

It wouldn’t be stunning to see this rebrand undergo, particularly since EA plans to launch EA Sports activities Faculty Soccer and EA Sports activities PGA Tour subsequent 12 months. This may unify most of its sports activities gaming manufacturers and permit them to forgo utilizing exterior manufacturers.