Following hints and foreshadowing over the past few months, EA and FIFA have officially ended partnership, which will, in a way, end the video game version of FIFA football series.
EA announced on their blog that the partnership with FIFA has concluded. As such, the annual FIFA football series will not cease to exist but it will have to be renamed, starting with the next season. The new name will be EA Sports FC.
" Next year, EA SPORTS FC will become the future of football from EA SPORTS. Alongside our 300+ license partners across the sport, we’re ready to take global football experiences to new heights, on behalf of all football fans around the world. "
~ EA Sports
The enormous amount of license partners EA has amassed over the years, however, means that the game will largely remain the same. EA's aforementioned blog post included quotes from LaLiga, Premier League, Bundesliga, CONMEBOL and Nike, meaning we are highly likely to see them in the first iteration of EA Sports FC.
Perhaps the most interesting license partner from the quote list is UEFA, which translates to properly licensed Champions League and Europa League competitions.
In essence, the severed relations between EA Sports and FIFA will mean the former won't be able to license World Cup and FIFA Euro international competitions and since the two of them together result in a bi-annual event, the players will not lose out on much.
In the meantime, EA Sports FC will get to keep printing money with the Ultimate Team, which will also need to be renamed as it was previously known as FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT).
