EA and EA Sports have stated they are reviewing their naming rights agreement with FIFA, which may mean they will no longer sell the soccer series.

In a press release discussing the launch of FIFA 22, they discussed how the game has already amassed 9.1 million players, 7.6 million Ultimate Team squads have been made, and 460 million matches have been played.

Discussing the future of the series, EA discusses the 300 individual licensed partners (granting usage of over 17,000 athletes, 700 teams, 100 stadiums, and over 30 leagues). However, while this has allowed players to enjoy authentic matches in the UEFA Champions League and more, EA are considering their future with the FIFA license.

“As we look ahead, we’re also exploring 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.”

GamesIndustry.biz had previously reported that the UK launch week boxed sales of FIFA 22 were down 35% compared to FIFA 21. The latter was also down 42% compared to FIFA 20. However, FIFA 22 did not under-perform, as digital sales were up 31%- the first time more people had downloaded a FIFA game in the UK than bought it physically. FIFA sales also dip at the start of a new console generation.

Even with those reasons and more, it can be hard to imagine EA would be happy losing the FIFA license. Regardless, they state “The future of football is very big and very bright. Our priority is to ensure we have every opportunity to continue delivering the world’s greatest interactive football experiences.”

Image: FIFA 22 official website