The renewal, described only as a “long-term commitment”, will enable EA to continue using the “thousands of player names and likenesses” supported by the FIFPRO license agreement in its football games, alongside various official leagues, including the UEFA Champions League, CONMEBOL Libertadores, Premier League, Bundesliga, and LaLiga Santander. “Our players regularly remind us that one of the most important aspects of an EA Sports experience is the deep immersion created through authentic use of the world’s greatest leagues, teams and talent,” says EA’s David Jackson in the renewal announcement. “It’s how we continue to uniquely blur the lines between the digital and physical worlds of football. FIFPRO will continue to be an important partner as we build the next generation of EA Sports football experiences for players around the world”. It’s notable that EA refrains from using the FIFA name to refer to its hugely successful football game series throughout its latest announcement, especially in light of last week’s news that the publisher is currently “exploring the idea of renaming” its long-running FIFA series. More recently, a trademark filing spotted on the websites of the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office and the European Union Intellectual Property Office has suggested EA could readying to adopt the moniker “EA Sports FC.” Time will tell. As for FIFA 22, the latest instalment in EA’s football series - and perhaps the last to sport that name - Eurogamer slammed its “morally bankrupt monetisation” in our recent review. And that theme continued when Wesley Yin-Poole had chance to chat with EA, delving into the FIFA series’ Ultimate Team and controversial loot boxes.
