After almost 30 years and dozens of video games, 2024 will be the first year that EA releases its annual soccer game without any FIFA branding. Instead, this year’s game will be called EA Sports FC 24, after the video game developer announced in mid-2022 that it would be parting ways with the international governing body.
EA is premiering a full gameplay trailer for EA Sports FC 24, following an earlier brief teaser. “30 years of packing the stands and putting you on the pitch, but it’s time to get closer,” was Daniel Kaluuya’s pitch for the game in the teaser’s dramatic voiceover, without revealing any specific gameplay additions.
While EA moves away from the FIFA branding, the international football governing body is continuing to license out its name and launched a mobile game called AI League in April. FIFA has struck a defiant tone about the end of its partnership with EA. “I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
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Sep 29, 2023
Andrew Webster
EA Sports FC 24 isn’t a huge change — but EA hopes it’s the start of something bigger
EA Sports FC 24 — or FC24, for short — is a huge release for Electronic Arts, launching today on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Switch. But you wouldn’t necessarily know its importance from playing the new game. FC24 is the first title since the publisher’s split from FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, a chance for EA to break out on its own with one of the most popular franchises in gaming. But the game also feels like well, FIFA. Instead of a whole new franchise, it plays a lot like the one that came before it, with the kinds of updates and additions that are typical of an annualized sports game. It’s not a jarring change if you’ve spent a lot of time with FIFA 23.
This is not to say that FC24 is a bad game. I’ve mostly been enjoying my time with it. It looks better, particularly when it comes to animations, with new tech called HyperMotion V that uses real-world data so that players move like they do in the real world. It’s especially notable for big-name players who now look ripped out of a TV broadcast, with distinctive movements so that you can pick out Lionel Messi from afar.
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Nov 23, 2023
Andrew Webster
It’s not the World Cup but,
it’s still pretty big. EA’s messy split from FIFA means that the word’s biggest soccer tournament won’t be part of EA Sports FC. But next summer the game will at least be getting a free update for Euro 2024, which might be the next best thing.
Sep 27, 2023
Monica Chin
EA delists old FIFA titles ahead of its new soccer game’s debut
EA has delisted all prior FIFA games from major storefronts, including Epic Games, Steam, Switch, Xbox, and PS5. The titles, up to and including FIFA 23, are no longer available for purchase. The move, which was first spotted by analyst MauroNL, comes just two days before the upcoming EA Sports FC 24 is set to release.
The content is not totally lost: FIFA 23 is still technically available to EA Play subscribers through its collection of legacy titles known as “The Play List.” Some DLC packs are also still available for purchase, per Kotaku’s reporting.
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Footy on your phone.
EA Sports FC 24, the first entry in EA’s new non-FIFA soccer franchise, launches next week. But so does a mobile version — and you can get a first glimpse at it in the reveal trailer below. The mobile game is out on September 26th, while the full PC and console release hits on the 29th.
Jul 18, 2023
Andrew Webster
Here’s seven minutes of EA Sports FC gameplay.
Last week’s official unveiling of EA’s new soccer franchise was surprisingly light on actual gameplay, but now we have a longer clip that dives deeper into how the game will play. EA Sports FC 24 (we really need a good shorthand for that title) launches in September.
Jul 13, 2023
Andrew Webster
Here’s your first look at EA Sports FC 24, which launches in September
EA’s foray into its post-FIFA future starts very soon. During a livestreamed event, the publisher announced today that its new soccer franchise, EA Sports FC, will debut in early access on September 22nd before a wider launch on September 29th. It’ll be available on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. You can get a first look at the new title — officially known as EA Sports FC 24, or FC24 for short — in the first gameplay trailer above.
The event opened with a lengthy monologue from EA CEO Andrew Wilson, in which he explained his long history with the sport, including his work at EA Sports, and managed to not say the word FIFA once. “We’re going to take another giant leap forward,” Wilson said of the new title. The ultimate goal, he said, was to connect 1 billion fans through the franchise.
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Jul 13, 2023
Andrew Webster
Whether you call it football or soccer, you’ll probably want to tune in.
Usually the reveal of an annualized sports game isn’t such a big deal, but that’s not the case here — after a long partnership with FIFA, EA is launching a brand-new soccer franchise called EA Sports FC this year. You can check out the unveiling in the stream below, which kicks off at 12:35PM ET.
Jul 10, 2023
Andrew Webster
EA is finally revealing its non-FIFA soccer game later this week.
That’s EA Sports FC, if you’ve forgotten, and we’ll be getting gameplay and (presumably) a release date during a livestream on July 13th at 12:30PM ET. We’ll have all the news right here, but in the meantime, here’s a CG trailer that doesn’t reveal much of anything aside from a very dramatic voice over from Daniel Kaluuya.
Jul 6, 2023
Andrew Webster
Did you know there’s a new EA Sports soccer game coming?
It definitely wants to make sure you don’t forget about its non-FIFA game EA Sports FC coming this year. We knew that EA had acquired naming rights for Spain’s LaLiga, and now we can see what that actually looks like as part of the league’s visual rebranding.
It will officially be known as LaLiga EA Sports, while the second division will hilariously be called LaLiga Hypermotion, named after in-game animation tech. Of course, no one will call them that — but it’ll be hard to avoid while watching matches.
Image: LaLiga
Jun 7, 2023
Andrew Webster
EA keeps chugging along without FIFA.
In the lead up to the debut of the FIFA-free EA Sports FC, the publisher has been announcing a number of deals with the likes of Juventus, the NWSL, and LaLiga. The latest: a multi-year renewal with CONMEBOL, the sport’s governing body in South America. The game is launching later this year, and so far all we’ve really seen is the new logo. More details are expected in July.
Apr 6, 2023
Andrew Webster
So long, FIFA.
EA has officially unveiled the branding for its new soccer franchise EA Sports FC following a messy split with FIFA. It’s just a logo for now, and EA says fans will see it pop up in advertising across all of the big IRL soccer games this weekend. Also, there’s a website — and more news is expected in July, with a launch later in the year.
Image: EA
Apr 3, 2023
Andrew Webster
FIFA’s post-EA future starts with this AI-powered mobile game
Now that EA and FIFA have officially separated, we’re getting details about both of their soccer video game futures. EA has its upcoming simulation EA Sports FC, while FIFA just launched a mobile game called AI League. It’s available now on Android in open beta (an iOS version is listed as “coming soon”).
Developed by game studio Altered State Machine, AI League is described as a “4-on-4 casual football game, played between AI-controlled characters, with player input at fun and tactical moments. Players act as the coach and owner of their AI teams, with each AI footballer given unique AI traits that define their strengths and weaknesses. Players are able to collect and trade characters to create a team with their favorite talent combinations.”
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Aug 2, 2022
Andrew Webster
EA is already announcing deals for its post-FIFA future
FIFA 23 isn’t even out yet, but Electronic Arts is already preparing for its post-FIFA future. Today, the publisher announced a new deal with Spain’s LaLiga — which is home to iconic clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona — for a “one of a kind, multi-year partnership” that kicks off with the 2023–2024 season and will make EA the title sponsor for the league. That also happens to be the season in which EA will be ditching its longtime partner FIFA for a new soccer franchise called EA Sports FC, making FIFA 23 the last EA game with FIFA branding.
According to EA, the new deal will include:
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May 10, 2022
Jay Peters
EA is ditching the FIFA branding starting with next year’s soccer game
EA is officially dropping the FIFA branding for its hit soccer video games starting with next year’s release, the company announced Tuesday. The new title for the games will be EA Sports FC.
Despite the name change, it sounds as if much of the DNA of the FIFA games will remain the same. “Everything you love about our games will be part of EA Sports FC — the same great experiences, modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes will be there,” EA’s Cam Weber said in a blog post. “Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and Volta Football will all be there. Our unique licensing portfolio of more than 19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues that we’ve continued to invest in for decades will still be there, uniquely in EA Sports FC. That includes exclusive partnerships with the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A, the MLS — and more to come.”
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Feb 24, 2022
Jon Porter
EA CEO explains why company may ditch FIFA branding in leaked staff comments
In newly-leaked comments, EA CEO Andrew Wilson has explained why the company is considering ending its licensing deal with FIFA. The comments come after EA publicly announced in October it was reviewing its agreement with FIFA, and considering renaming the title of its popular soccer franchise.The comments, which are the CEO’s most candid remarks yet, were made in a company meeting last November and made public in a report from VGC this week.
Wilson suggested that EA feels its FIFA branding deal is unnecessarily restrictive, while not providing enough value to the company.“Basically, what we get from FIFA in a non-World Cup year is the four letters on the front of the box,” Wilson said. Although its FIFA deal gets EA access to the World Cup every four years, the company also has over 300 other licensing agreements which allow it to use the names and likenesses of players, teams, and leagues without needing a deal with FIFA.
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