EA SPORTS FC: The future of the FIFA games

The switch from FIFA to EA Sports FC

In an official statement on their website, EA announced that its widely popular FIFA franchise will be renamed to EA Sports FC from 2023 and onwards. EA’s licensing agreement with FIFA was set to end after the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar and licensing negotiations had reportedly been going on for several months prior, according to The New York Times. 

In the end, the publisher and football’s governing body could not reach an agreement and have parted ways, although the partnership has been extended slightly until 2023, to include the women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. This means that FIFA 23, which will release later in 2022, will officially be the last game in EA’s franchise under the FIFA name. After the release of FIFA 23, the franchise will continue as EA Sports FC.

EA Sports FC and everything we know so far

EA has already revealed some details on what we can expect from the newly titled franchise, including information on Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs, VOLTA Football and a unique licensing portfolio.

EA Sports FC release date

EA Sports FC has not received an official release date yet, as the game is still more than a year away. However, going off of previous release dates for EA’s football games, we can predict a release window for EA Sports FC. Following the pattern of previous releases, we’ll likely see an EA Sports FC release date on September 29, 2023 or October 6, 2023. For now, we’ll just have to wait for more information from EA on when EA Sports FC will launch.

Game modes in EA Sports FC

Over the years FIFA fans have come to love game modes such as Ultimate Team, Career Mode and Pro Clubs. Which of these game modes can we expect to return in EA Sports FC?

EA Sports FC Ultimate Team

That’s right, EA has confirmed that Ultimate Team will return in EA Sports FC. The Ultimate Team game mode has been a staple of FIFA games and other EA sports games such as Madden and NHL. On top of that, the intellectual property rights for the Ultimate Team mode belong to EA, which means that the split with FIFA will not impact the existence of the popular game mode. Similar to previous FIFA games, we can expect the Ultimate Team mode to be the main game mode for future EA Sports FC games.

Career mode

Career mode has also been confirmed to return in EA Sports FC. The mode already received a massive overhaul in FIFA 22, with major improvements to both the Manager Career and the Player Career, so we don’t expect too many changes for this mode in the new franchise. However, fans will be happy to know that they can continue to enjoy the Career mode in EA Sports FC.

Pro Clubs

Pro Clubs is a popular social mode that allowed players to create a Virtual Pro player to play on the pitch in previous FIFA games. EA has confirmed that Pro Clubs will also make a return in EA Sports FC, so we’re excited to see where the future of this mode is headed.

VOLTA Football

Lastly, the VOLTA Football mode, which is centered around street football, will return in EA Sports FC. The mode was first introduced in FIFA 20 and has been a returning feature ever since. VOLTA Football has been consistently expanded with Party Game Tournaments and VOLTA SEASONS that provided content throughout the year, so we expect similar improvements for the mode in EA Sports FC.

EA Sports FC licenses and partners

With EA and FIFA parting ways, many players may be wondering if we will still see the official leagues, teams, players and stadiums in EA Sports FC. Good news! EA has confirmed that they will bring a unique licensing portfolio to EA Sports FC, featuring over 19.000 players, 700 teams, 100 stadiums and 30 leagues. 

More specifically, EA announced partnerships with:

• Premier League
• LaLiga
• Bundesliga
• UEFA
• CONMEBOL
• NIKE
  
  

On top that, several individual clubs have announced to be a part of EA Sports FC:

• Manchester City
• Tottenham Hotspur
• Liverpool
• Real Madrid
• Atlético Madrid
• Borussia Dortmund
• Ajax
• Toronto FC
• Austin FC
  
  

EA further stated that everything the fans love about the FIFA games will be part of EA SPORTS FC, including the same modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes.

Potential new features in EA Sports FC

So good news on returning leagues and clubs, but what new features can we expect for EA Sports FC? Well, according to EA Sports vice president David Jackson, we’re in for a much more interactive experience that includes watching and creating content. Jackson elaborated: “At the moment, we engage in play as a primary form of interactive experience. Soon, watching and creating content are going to be equally as important for fans. Under the licensing conventions that we agreed with FIFA ten years ago, there were some restrictions that weren’t going to allow us to build those experiences for players.”.

Currently we don’t have any specifics on these new “interactive experiences”, but Jackson’s statement hints at new features that would allow players to watch and create football content. Could this mean that we may be able to watch live football matches in EA Sports FC or that we can create or customize our own players and teams? We’ll once again have to wait until more information is revealed, but one thing is certain: these are exciting times for EA Sports fans.

When will more information for EA Sports FC be revealed?

In their official statement, EA stated that they will share more info on EA Sports FC in the summer of 2023. More specifically, we can expect a first teaser, trailer or other details in July of 2023. So keep your eyes peeled as we’ll update this article once more information is revealed!

What will happen to the FIFA franchise?

So now that EA and FIFA have decided to end their partnership, where does that leave FIFA and the FIFA franchise?

In an official statement on their website, FIFA revealed that the FIFA series will continue with a new developer other than EA. Moreover, FIFA announced that they will be switching to a non-exclusive model that allows different developers to work on various titles under the FIFA name. For starters, a number of non-simulation games are already under production and will launch during the third quarter of 2022. 

FIFA President Gianni Infantino further stated: “I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans. The FIFA name is the only global, original title. FIFA 23, FIFA 24, FIFA 25 and FIFA 26, and so on - the constant is the FIFA name and it will remain forever and remain THE BEST.”. This implies that a FIFA 24 game is definitely not outside the realm of possibilities. For now, we’ll once again have to wait until FIFA discloses more information on their next projects.

FIFA 23 coming up

Even though EA and FIFA will be parting ways, both parties have confirmed that they’re still committed to deliver the most expansive FIFA game ever this year, with FIFA 23. 

FIFA 23 has not received an official release date, but is scheduled for the fall of 2022. Can’t wait to get your hands on FIFA 23? Brush up on your FIFA skills in FIFA 22 and prepare yourself for the new FIFA release later this year!

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