EA Sports FC reveals first plans for life after FIFA

EA Sports on Thursday began promoting EA Sports FC, the successor to the 30-year series it published under FIFA license. The publisher showed off the game’s new logo, and touted its affiliation with the clubs and major domestic leagues of Europe, South America, and North America.

EA Sports FC will — thanks to a group license with FIFPRO, the player representation for nearly all world soccer athletes — continue to feature more than 19,000 real-life stars, the publisher said on Thursday. Another 700 teams and 30 leagues will star in the game, along with more than “300 global football partners” including women’s professional leagues and teams, like the United States’ NWSL and the U.K.’s Women’s Super League.

“This is where the story of EA Sports FC begins,” Nick Wlodyka, the series’ general manager, said in a statement. “We’re building on 30 years of leadership and history creating experiences that bring the global football community together and continuing to take it into a fan-first future.”

One year ago, Electronic Arts announced that it would part ways with FIFA, whose licensing allowed the game to use FIFA’s name and marks in its titles and feature its World Cup tournaments for women’s and men’s soccer. In truth, other than the World Cup branding and game title, FIFA was probably the least impactful name among the collage of licensing agreements making up the global best-seller.

Agreements with the English Premier League, South America’s Copa Libertadores championship, Italy’s Serie A, and other top-flight soccer promotions all over the world, are completely independent of FIFA and delivered more teams, kits, and other content to the game.

More about EA Sports FC will be revealed in July, EA Sports said. EA Sports FC is expected to launch in the fall, when the FIFA series traditionally hit shelves.