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With the FIFA 23 release date<\/a> arriving this week, there\u2019s something of an \u2018end of an era\u2019 feeling among the fandom for EA Sports\u2019 football gaming franchise.<\/p>\n After all, it has been widely publicised that EA Sports will not be partnering with the world governing body of football (the real-life FIFA organisation) on any further games after FIFA 23.<\/p>\n Instead, the team that normally works on EA\u2019s FIFA games is planning to launch a new franchise called EA Sports FC<\/a>, and we\u2019d expect it to arrive at this sort of time next year. To learn more, read on!<\/p>\n Long story short: yes, FIFA 23 will be the last FIFA-branded game that EA Sports makes for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n However, EA Sports will continue making football games, with their next one due to be called EA Sports FC \u2013 and it sounds like this rebranded effort will contain a lot of familiar elements for fans.<\/p>\n EA promised in an official blog post<\/a>: \u201cEverything you love about our games will be part of EA Sports FC \u2013 the same great experiences, modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes will be there. Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA Football will all be there.\u201d<\/p>\n EA did imply that there will be more changes than just the name, though, saying in the same blog: \u201cThis is much more than just a change of symbol \u2013 as EA Sports, we\u2019re committed to ensuring EA Sports FC is a symbol of change. We\u2019re dedicated to meaningfully reinvesting in the sport, and we\u2019re excited to work with a large and increasing number of partners to expand to new authentic experiences that bring joy, inclusivity and immersion to a global community of fans.\u201d<\/p> As for FIFA, the actual governing body of real-life football said in its own statement<\/a>: \u201cFIFA is engaging with various industry players, including developers, investors and analysts, to build out a long-term view of the gaming, eSports and interactive entertainment sector.\u201d<\/p>\n It sounds to us, then, like FIFA could partner up with a different developer for future gaming projects that could bear the FIFA branding. So even though EA Sports will not make another FIFA game any time soon, that wouldn\u2019t stop another developer from picking up the FIFA name rights and doing its own thing with it. If we hear anything on that front, we\u2019ll let you know.<\/p>\n The exact reasons for the split between EA Sports and FIFA have not been announced publicly, and we\u2019d be surprised if the full details were ever shared in a public forum. However, there are some interesting lines that we\u2019d like to point out in the statements of both parties.<\/p>\n FIFA said in its statement, \u201cFIFA is bullish and excited about the future in gaming and eSports for football, and it is clear that this needs to be a space that is occupied by more than one party controlling all rights.\u201d This, to us, implies that FIFA wanted to work with other partners, but EA might not have been open to that.<\/p>\n Prior to the announcement of EA Sports FC as a gaming franchise in its own right, EA said in a different statement<\/a>, \u201cWe\u2019re reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA, which is separate from all our other official partnerships and licenses across the football world.\u201d This makes it sound like EA could make a game very similar to its FIFA titles, in everything but name, by severing ties with the FIFA organisation.<\/p>\n Indeed, EA has pledged that EA Sports FC games will still have official team names and player likenesses. The company said, \u201cOur unique licensing portfolio of more than 19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues that we\u2019ve continued to invest in for decades will still be there, uniquely in EA Sports FC. That includes exclusive partnerships with the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, the MLS \u2013 and more to come.\u201d<\/p>\n So, while FIFA 23 is the final FIFA game from EA, fans of the franchise should feel right at home with EA Sports FC from next year onwards. And it will be interesting to see who FIFA itself teams up with on future projects.<\/p>\n Read more on FIFA:<\/strong><\/p>\n Follow Radio Times Gaming on Twitter<\/a> for all the latest insights. Or if you\u2019re looking for something to watch, see our TV Guide.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Visit our video game release schedule<\/a> for all upcoming games on consoles. Swing by our hubs for more Gaming<\/a> and Technology<\/a>\u00a0news.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0and get the next 12 issues for only \u00a31. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a>\u00a0with Jane Garvey.<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Rob Leane Published: Thursday, 29 September 2022 at 12:00 am With the FIFA 23 release date arriving this week, there\u2019s something of an \u2018end of an era\u2019 feeling among the fandom for EA Sports\u2019 football gaming franchise. After all, it has been widely publicised that EA Sports will not be partnering with the world […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[8],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Rob Leane Published: Thursday, 29 September 2022 at 12:00 am With the FIFA 23 release date arriving this week, there\u2019s something of an \u2018end of an era\u2019 feeling among the fandom for EA Sports\u2019 football gaming franchise. After all, it has been widely publicised that EA Sports will not be partnering with the world…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/22900"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Is FIFA 23 the last FIFA?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Latest deals<\/h5>
What happened between FIFA and EA?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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