The FIFA sports games that generate the most profits for Electronic Arts between their multi-million dollar sales and everything that surrounds the FIFA Ultimate Team mode full of microtransactions. EA Sports, the sports division of Electronic Arts is officially licensed by FIFA, not by teams; to use their name and image and so far they have done well but they are both beginning to rethink the agreement.
Said license agreement to be worth about 150 million dollars a year. It is a considerable price, but it represents the importance of the FIFA name, which many around the world associate with the sports series and even with the sport itself in the world of video games.
The name of FIFA in video games is in danger
The CEO and CEO of EA Sports made public last week that the agreement between them and FIFA might not be renewed after the World Cup in Qatar next year. EA does not rule out dispensing with the use of the name and using its own name, EA Sports FC, as seen in recent records.
FIFA is seeking more than double what it currently receives from EA Sports for use of the name, which would be $ XNUMX billion for each four-year World Cup cycle. But money aside, each party is looking for more monetization opportunities with the license. FIFA wants developers other than Electronic Arts to be able to use the license, while EA Sports wants to monetize it beyond just sales and microtransactions, such as holding official tournaments and selling NFTs.
EA Sports does not believe that another company could easily qualify for the FIFA license, mainly because of its price. The only competitor they have is Konami with eFootball and they are not in a position to pay what FIFA asks for their license. In addition, EA Sports has agreements with more than 300 organizations such as UEFA, and many other stadiums and teams. In short, the agreement with FIFA would only give you the right to use your name and image, but EA Sports is already in a dominant position in the sector.
Source: The New York Times
