Upon sharing details about the record-shattering launch of FIFA 22, publisher Electronic Arts revealed the series may eventually receive a new name. Electronic Arts has used the FIFA branding for its lucrative soccer franchise since the advent of FIFA International Soccer, or FIFA 94, in late 1993.
The naming convention of placing a year after the FIFA title remained in place for about half a decade, though the publisher slightly rebranded the popular sports property upon releasing FIFA Football 2002 in November 2001. FIFA Football 2005 marked the last of the "Football" moniker's attachment to the title, with FIFA 06 returning the franchise to its once familiar denomination. And EA hasn't issued a name change in the 15-plus years since then. Change is in the air, though, especially when considering Konami's recent move to rebrand Pro Evolution Soccer as eFootball.
In a press release, Electronic Arts boasts of FIFA 22's "record-breaking" launch on consoles and PC. The latest entry has already amassed an incredible 9.1 million players worldwide, along with 7.6 million FUT squads and over 460 million matches played. The company additionally makes mention of future plans, a future that could see its marquee franchise forego the FIFA name. EA's statement notes the publisher is considering the idea of "renaming our global EA SPORTS football games. This means we’re reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA, which is separate from all our other official partnerships and licenses across the football world." If such a monumental shift does occur, there exists no word on when the change itself may take effect.
Even if EA Sports' FIFA series receives a rebranding, the statement explains that deals with the sports organization do not run parallel to other partnerships within the world of football. Thus, the licenses related teams, players, etc. are unlikely to be impacted by EA potentially abandoning the FIFA name.
What would bring about such a decision is not yet publicly known. However, a rebranding of this nature could serve as a way to cut costs for Electronic Arts in the long run. The FIFA license can't come cheap, particularly if the value of the game series continues to increase with its unceasing success year after year.
FIFA 22 is available to play now across Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S platforms.
Source: Electronic Arts