EA Sports FC reveals first plans for life after FIFA

EA Sports started promoting on Thursday EA Sports FC, the successor to the 30-year series that published it under FIFA license. The publisher showed the game’s new logoand praised its association with the clubs and major national leagues of Europe, South America and North America.

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

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

A year ago, Electronic Arts announced it was parting ways with FIFA, whose license allowed the game to use FIFA’s name and branding in its titles and include its World Cup tournaments for women’s and men’s football. In reality, apart from the World Cup branding and the title of the game, FIFA was probably the name with the least impact in the collection of licensing deals that made up the global bestseller.

Agreements with the English Premier League, the South American Copa Libertadores Championship, Italy’s Serie A and other top football promotions around the world are completely independent of FIFA and brought 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 hits shelves.