FIFA was one of the biggest and most profitable gaming franchises with an annual release. The football or soccer simulation that Electronic Arts made for over two decades, and after adding the Ultimate Team, the game became the most popular sports video game overnight. The trailer for the next installment of the series was released recently, but it was called EA FC24, and we’ve already seen its logo before. This has probably caused a lot of confusion. So here is what EA FC24 is and what happened to FIFA 24.
What is EA FC24?
EA would release a new game in the FIFA series each year with all the latest kits, updates, ratings, and marketing transfers done. But this year, the game was announced under EA FC24, which was something we expected. There is a good and solid reason why EA changed the name of their most profitable game, but before I explain what happened to FIFA 24, there is something you must understand.
The International Federation of Association Football, or FIFA for short, is the federation that organizes all major competitions across the globe and sets all the rules regarded to that. EA signed a licensing deal with FIFA to use the name of this federation for their game. In that contract, EA would pay $150 million per year to FIFA, and the contract was going to be terminated in 2022. FIFA wanted more than $1 billion to renew a four-year contract. So basically, EA has lost the license to use the name of FIFA for the high demand of the federation.
While the EA has lost FIFA’s license, it still has other contracts that are far more important than the name of FIFA. For instance, they still have their contract with the Premier League, allowing them to use English football clubs’ kits and badges, Bundesliga, La Liga, and of course, the Europe Champions League.
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Of course, EA wouldn’t put their most profitable game aside. That’s why they have changed the game’s name to EA FC24, which FC is short for football club. Apart from the name of FIFA, nothing else will change in the game. All the players, their respective teams, all the weekly and daily challenges rewarding players with iconic and powerful cards, and Ultimate Team will be available in EA FC24. So fans shouldn’t worry about the name change since the core of FIFA is still there.
EA FC24 will be released for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on September 29.
