One of the biggest franchises in video game history comes to an end on Friday with the release of FIFA 23, the final installment of the soccer game that has captivated millions of fans for the past three decades. .
American game maker Electronic Arts (EA) and soccer’s world governing body FIFA spent months negotiating a licensing deal that has underpinned the game since its first edition in 1993.
But they confirmed the split in May when FIFA said it would look for other partners and EA said it would rebrand its game as “EA Sports FC” from next year.
For the final version, EA has added women’s club teams for the first time – albeit only from England and France – years after introducing female players.
Australian superstar Sam Kerr, who plays in the English league, is on the cover of the game alongside French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe.
“It is — and remains — one of the most popular franchises in all of gaming,” said Tom Wiseman of Newzoo, a firm that analyzes industry data.
Decoupling is risky for both EA and FIFA, nor does their new ventures guarantee success.
But analysts say EA is in a strong position after spending 30 years in game development and marketing.
The firm said last year that FIFA had sold more than 325 million copies during its three-decade run – reportedly generating more than $20 billion in sales.
‘Out on a high’
Gamers were less worried about corporate fallout and just wanted to play the latest version of the game.
Professional eSports players — some of whom earn millions of dollars playing the game — are lining up to live stream their first attempts.
“One of my favorite videos ever,” tweeted Donovan Hunt, one of eSports’ most successful players, linking to a YouTube video of his first attempt.
Swedish gamer Ole Orbán live-streamed his first attempt for 12 hours on Wednesday.
Reviewers have been impressed with the game’s improvements in graphics since the previous edition, and praised additional features such as “Power Shot” to give the gameplay another dimension.
“FIFA 23 sees the series on a high, and bodes well for the debut of EA Sports FC this time next year,” wrote Ben Wilson at specialist site GamesRadar.
‘dangerous endeavour’
The video game industry, worth about $300 billion a year, has become increasingly cutthroat in recent years with major companies buying up many of their competitors.
EA had a turnover of $5.6 billion last year, making it one of the largest game makers outside the grip of the big four – Tencent, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.
The deal with FIFA ended after the soccer body reportedly raised its licensing fee demand from $150 million to $250 million – bringing the total sum of the four-year deal to $1 billion.
EA will lose the right to use the FIFA name and competitions such as the World Cup, but it can still use player names and non-FIFA competitions such as the English Premier League – a significant advantage over its rivals.
However, the firm was already moving towards club competition, both on and off screen.
It is taking Spain’s top flight La Liga next year on a five-year sponsorship deal, reported to be worth €30 to €40 million a year.
Newzoo’s Wijman said “EA Sports FC” has a good chance of success.
“Losing the FIFA brand may hurt EA’s prospects somewhat, but they have the game engine, the development teams, the marketing expertise, and the branding expertise,” he said.
Wijmann said FIFA could struggle to attract potential partners after its $1 billion demand.
It would be a “risky endeavour”, he said, “in any case, but especially if you have to compete with EA to make the most popular football game”.
