FIFA will be rebranded as EA Sports FC in 2023(gamedeveloper.com)
gamedeveloper.com
FIFA will be rebranded as EA Sports FC in 2023
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/fifa-will-be-rebranded-as-ea-sports-fc-in-2023
73 comments
I think what Konami did with PES was really smart: they created fictional clubs and leagues with hints about what they should be in real life and let everything be customizable. As expected, gamers already have shared databases with updated info about current leagues and clubs, saving Konami from paying any licence at all AFAIK
Not entirely, they have bought exclusive licenses for some clubs like Juventus and Manchester United, which has resulted in said clubs being renamed in other football-relates games like ~FIFA~ EA Sports FC and Football Manager. Juventus is either Piemonte Calcio or Zebre, keeps the same colours and players, and is pretty obvious what it is
The cost savings can't have been that great because PES is no better than FIFA now when it comes to nickel and diming players constantly.
Naked greed from FIFA it sounds like..
For FIFA to ask for a $1bn over 4 years based on EA's revenue of nearly $6bn from FIFA and Ultimate Team in the same period (assuming zero growth) doesn't seem that greedy to me.
For FIFA to ask for a $1bn over 4 years based on EA's revenue of nearly $6bn from FIFA and Ultimate Team in the same period (assuming zero growth) doesn't seem that greedy to me.
Sorry if you already know this, but it's literally just the name on the box, not licensing for leagues, player names etc. I see basically no value in that name, it may even be a negative given their poor reputation (corruption etc).
They can probably make up the losses from the sweet deal on: "Fifa® Grand Corruption, Human Trafficking and Sex with Minors"™
Well, it's my perception that this was a nice little earner for FIFA in that EA did all the work whilst they got a massive pay off. They are obviously thinking about taking up their own financial opportunities more, and that's presumably why they bumped up their valuation. Time will tell on that front, but I think it's a massive error. FIFA don't have the competentcy.
EA are no saints either, of course. FIFA the game has morphed into a microtransaction nightmare. But I think they will still get their $6bn with or without FIFA on the box, Ultimate Team is the brand now. The only thing derailing that train is legislation (increasingly likely given how it targets children)
EA are no saints either, of course. FIFA the game has morphed into a microtransaction nightmare. But I think they will still get their $6bn with or without FIFA on the box, Ultimate Team is the brand now. The only thing derailing that train is legislation (increasingly likely given how it targets children)
Do you really think that asking a $1B cut from $6B revenue is OK? That's a cut of 17% for what? For licensing a name? As a gamer I'd rather save $10 on the price and have it named something else. We already have to put up with the clubs names BS anyway... because they don't have the licenses for using the real team names in the game.
At the end of the day FIFA the game makes a lot of money and EA could easily afford that extra half billion. They chose not to pay because they are greedy themselves. It's just business.
Somebody else will probably still end up paying for that valuable license, since most of the value of these games is in the name. A lot of console player only buy 2 titles a year: Call Of Duty and FIFA.
Somebody else will probably still end up paying for that valuable license, since most of the value of these games is in the name. A lot of console player only buy 2 titles a year: Call Of Duty and FIFA.
What do EA get out of the deal though? Made sense when they were launching the series back in the days the Sega Megadrive, now it's just an incredibly expensive albatross round their neck. FIFA are so corrupt the association is negative. Why would you pay for that? In a saner world FIFA would be paying EA for sponsorship to launder their image!
How can it be an albatross if it's been a profitable franchise with Coca-Cola level name recognition globally?
Recent developments around the Qatar World Cup and various other scandals have toxified the brand
https://www.ft.com/content/dd1d016f-5263-4161-bb4b-af7968abd...
https://www.ft.com/content/dd1d016f-5263-4161-bb4b-af7968abd...
Yeah in terms of greed it's really hard to say which of these two parties I detest more.
> since most of the value of these games is in the name
People will buy the EA football game, the name does not matter.
People will buy the EA football game, the name does not matter.
I think people will generally buy the game that has the real teams and players.
I believe the falling through of this FIFA deal does not (severely) impact that as EA has agreements with all governing bodies separately (Premier League, Bundesliga etc.)
I am not sure if they can now still have the national teams?
I believe the falling through of this FIFA deal does not (severely) impact that as EA has agreements with all governing bodies separately (Premier League, Bundesliga etc.)
I am not sure if they can now still have the national teams?
They can't license the World Cup, so I think national teams are out as well, as they're under the FIFA umbrella.
Yes for sure I assume they keep their other licensing agreeements.
I think having the team names and player names is what gets people to buy that particular game (assuming they all play well)
I wonder how much is sales of FIFA vs NFL games and their corresponding license fees
Sounds like this could also be a warning shot for NFL or anyone else having funny ideas
Sounds like this could also be a warning shot for NFL or anyone else having funny ideas
And bear in mind this deal doesn't even include player and club likeness and naming rights! May have been rhetoric from EA but it really does seem there is some truth to their assertion that FIFA was just 'four letters on front of the box'.
Not sure how the NFL deal works out in that regard, but it does seem a little more tightly coupled : https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/28/21270647/madden-nfl-ea-ren...
Not sure how the NFL deal works out in that regard, but it does seem a little more tightly coupled : https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/28/21270647/madden-nfl-ea-ren...
Just give it a little time: "Camp Nou will be rebranded as Spotify Camp Nou" [1]. But, I agree, I was also a little confused when reading the title at first.
[1] https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/15/22979943/spotify-camp-nou...
[1] https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/15/22979943/spotify-camp-nou...
Honestly if they end up dropping the price for PES/Konami, it might be worth it just to take over the franchise. No doubt they’ll try.
It wouldn't matter, because EA Sports still has the licenses for teams and players. Those rights are provided by UEFA and national football associations.
Only thing EA really loses out on is official licensing for World Cup-related games.
Only thing EA really loses out on is official licensing for World Cup-related games.
Can the title be amended to "FIFA (video game series) will be rebranded as EA Sports FC in 2023" to clarify that it's not referring to the actual football governing body?
Sorry, I'm not able to change it any longer. Maybe that'd be something @dang could do.
I don't know whether we have a policy about that, but I thought I should keep the title as the heading of the article. Sorry for the confusion about that.
I don't know whether we have a policy about that, but I thought I should keep the title as the heading of the article. Sorry for the confusion about that.
Thank you for saving me a click. The current title is quite misleading and legitimately made me wonder if it was April 1.
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It's like if the devil and the antichrist split up. Yeah it's probably a good thing, but it's really hard to be happy about it. Even EA's way of selling it is "don't worry, we'll still charge you yearly for the same features including the money sucking ultimate team."
Nah, EA isn't even close to the level moral bankruptcy and corruption that FIFA represents.
IMO the entire leadership of FIFA belongs behind bars.
IMO the entire leadership of FIFA belongs behind bars.
totally agree. Some perspective is needed here. EA is just a shit company with their gambling mechanics and more. FIFA is corrupt and straight up doesn't care about human rights - on Katar construction sites for example. They're playing in a different league.
> IMO the entire leadership of FIFA belongs behind bars.
I don't really follow anything about FIFA the org/leadership. Why do they belong behind bars? I have seen quite a few examples of them being super greedy but I am ignorant past that.
I don't really follow anything about FIFA the org/leadership. Why do they belong behind bars? I have seen quite a few examples of them being super greedy but I am ignorant past that.
I read that as the FIFA organisation was changing its name.
Amazing that FIFA is now more widely known as the name of the game rather than the body that organises association football.
Amazing that FIFA is now more widely known as the name of the game rather than the body that organises association football.
Nah, just in the context of that website. It’s not BBC or NY Times. Plus it’s properly italicized there. On HN it’s out of context and could use clarification despite HN’s no editing headlines by default policy.
Even in the context of HN, a) we're more likely to be talking about video games than real-life sport b) it's a fairly safe assumption that an international governing body is less likely to rebrand in this way than a video game series.
I disagree personally. As a "young" male from Europe every time I've talked about FIFA with friends we were talking about the game (although we always liked PES more as teenagers as it felt more arcade-like...)
Disagree with what exactly? Nobody claimed that there aren’t any people here who primarily associate "FIFA" with the game.
In the context of video gaming, which is that site's focus, it definitely is.
The video gaming series isn't not more widely known than the governing body otherwise EA wouldn't have paid half a billion dollars year for year just for the naming rights.
I don't know, weirdly I was today years old when I realised that FIFA [the game] was named after the football governing body. Might just be a me thing.
FIFA is the football videogame brand. Not using that name is a huge marketing change. (Like I know EA own other sports games, know their brand id and slogan, but honestly thought 'FIFA' was it's own company.)
What interests me is what would happen if FIFA the governing body try to lease their trademark to another football videogame maker -- that would be some serious market confusion, but could EA do anything about it legally? Any precedents?
FIFA is the football videogame brand. Not using that name is a huge marketing change. (Like I know EA own other sports games, know their brand id and slogan, but honestly thought 'FIFA' was it's own company.)
What interests me is what would happen if FIFA the governing body try to lease their trademark to another football videogame maker -- that would be some serious market confusion, but could EA do anything about it legally? Any precedents?
Sorry to all of you who clicked because of the unclear title. I didn't thought that through.
I have no strong feelings about this other that that 'EA Sports FC' is a horrible horrible name.
The only thing I can think of is that they want 'EA Sports' as the main brand opening the way for other sports 'EA Sports Tennis' or whatever. But 'FC' really? What's that?
The only thing I can think of is that they want 'EA Sports' as the main brand opening the way for other sports 'EA Sports Tennis' or whatever. But 'FC' really? What's that?
The FC stands for Football Club.
The move is actually an excellent one, because FIFA is a corrupt organisation whose main purpose is to syphon funds out of clubs, fans, and countries into the pockets of their morally bankrupt leadership.
EA should've done this years ago.
The move is actually an excellent one, because FIFA is a corrupt organisation whose main purpose is to syphon funds out of clubs, fans, and countries into the pockets of their morally bankrupt leadership.
EA should've done this years ago.
They were probably trying to avoid using 'football' or 'soccer', because the former would be misleading to some North Americans, and the latter would be off-putting for some Europeans.
The suffix FC is used by teams on both sides of the Atlantic, and should be well understood by fans of the sport.
The suffix FC is used by teams on both sides of the Atlantic, and should be well understood by fans of the sport.
Konami has managed to dabble in every single one of these naming conventions by calling the same game "Pro Evolution Soccer" (US-centric), "eFootball" (US-exclusionary) and "Winning Eleven" (name of the sport completely unmentioned) depending on the market/generation of the game. One year they even had their cake and ate it too with the "eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020" game.
Don't forget that Konami also had the "International Superstar Soccer Pro" games which were named "World Soccer: Winning Eleven '97" in Japan and "Goal Storm '97" in the US.
> "eFootball" (US-exclusionary)
Calling it 'football' might confuse some fans of American football, but I really doubt any American fans of 'soccer' will be confused, let alone excluded.
Calling it 'football' might confuse some fans of American football, but I really doubt any American fans of 'soccer' will be confused, let alone excluded.
I don't think it would be misleading, as EA Sports has a long-running NFL franchise game called "Madden [YEAR]", named after football coach John Madden.
Cover art alone is enough to indicate the game being played. There won't ever be person with a helmet on the cover of a soccer game.
Cover art alone is enough to indicate the game being played. There won't ever be person with a helmet on the cover of a soccer game.
FC probably stands for "Football Club", as it does for a lot of actual football clubs. But I agree it's a bad name.
Eh, it's fine for the target audience who knows what FC (football club) means, but definitely not their best rebrand.
Greed indeed! Reading the headline I assumed the FIFA org had sold its naming rights to EA and was busy reprinting stationery and unscrewing the sign on their building! Gran Lardon... https://youtu.be/A0KCbZ7L17I
You touch on a good point - for a sizable proportion of people 'FIFA' means the game instead of, say, 'massively corrupt sports governing body'. This deal was a massive PR win for the organisation over the years as affection for the game rubbed off on them. This is the proverbial own goal.
Yeah, arguably showing the letters FIFA so often while gaming and having fun was actually massive advertisement for FIFA the org. Perhaps the org should have paid for getting all the ad space.
Are we going to see a ridiculous outcome where FIFA license the brand to another game developer, who call it “FIFA 2024”, and then consumers just go ahead and buy “FIFA 2024” and it turns out to be something completely different than they expected?
I'm sure some marketing exec doesn't want to say "Football" or "Soccer", and has a whole worldview prepared with EA Sports Hockey, etc, but this new name completely misses on being actually usable in conversation.
Just like everyone says Facebook instead of Meta, FIFA is probably here to stick for the game in the next 5 years probably. Even an oldschool dumb name like EA Kickmaster would have been better.
Just like everyone says Facebook instead of Meta, FIFA is probably here to stick for the game in the next 5 years probably. Even an oldschool dumb name like EA Kickmaster would have been better.
EA retains league and player likeness rights, which is the real value
Say what you will about EA, but as a rugby fan I’m a little hopeful this gives them a little space to having a crack at the egg chasing game.
EA should just buy FIFA and fill stadiums with loot crate vending machines.
Can't wait for PES 2023 then. Fuck FIFA (both the game and the ORG)
What does FC stand for?
Football Club
In the UK, many football clubs actually have "FC" in their full names, although it's almost always removed in common usage. E.g. "Manchester United F.C."
Fußball Club ;-)
Fports Club
Football Club
Are team and player likenesses negotiated independently?
Lol, I thought EA bought FIFA and renamed it
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Ask for an extra half billion dollars, end up with nothing. Quite a fable. I can't imagine there will be many queueing up to take on the license after EA (certainly not at those rates). The only competent player in that area were Konami, and they are in a nosedive into F2P disasters.
Sounds like some of the falling out was each side not wanting to cede the rights to capitalise off stuff like NFTs, which is hilarious.