FIFA’s hugely popular video game series will be renamed EA Sports FC next year, publisher Electronic Arts said on Tuesday, ending a three-decade relationship with the governing body. football manager. Launched in 1993, a generation of millions of soccer fans and gamers across the globe grew up playing this game and it became a huge money making machine. But “months of intense negotiations” between California-based Electronic Arts (EA) and governing body FIFA have failed to conclude in an agreement to renew the partnership, The New York Times reported.
According to a FIFA report, the $150 million EA receives annually will be increased to $250 million or more.
The game has more than 150 million player accounts, according to EA, and The New York Times says it has generated more than $20 billion in revenue over the past two decades.
There are no major changes to how the game is predicted, and EA says it retains relationships with other leagues and associations, such as UEFA, the Premier League and Spain’s La Liga.
However, FIFA events such as the World Cup will not be available.
“Our vision for EA Sports FC is to create the largest and most influential football club in the world, at the heart of football fandom,” said EA chief executive Andrew Wilson.
“For nearly 30 years, we’ve built the largest football community in the world with hundreds of millions of players, thousands of athlete partners and hundreds of leagues, federations and teams.
“EA Sports FC will be the club for every one of them and for football fans everywhere.”
FIFA was quick to respond by saying it would be launching a “new football video game developed with third-party studios and publishers”.
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“I can assure you that the only authentic game named FIFA will be the best game for gamers and football fans,” said president Gianni Infantino.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)
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