The pairing of EA Sports and FIFA has been one of the most profitable in gaming history, with games bearing the FIFA license selling millions of units every year and rendering the FIFA series one of the highest-grossing of all time. The thought of the partnership coming to an end at one stage must have seemed utterly unthinkable.

However, following rumors of a split, EA has finally decided to go its own way with a title that won't be bearing the FIFA name. Citing differences of visions, creative restrictions, and mounting frustration that the license was not worth the money, FIFA 23 will be the last game in the series made by the sports division of one of the biggest games studios on the planet. The ramifications of this decision will be immense, and with the two properties going their separate ways, what will the sports games landscape look like now that one of its most famous pairs has parted ways?

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EA Sports has already made its intentions clear. According to the BBC, EA will continue to produce soccer games, but under the name EA Sports FC, spawning a new series produced by the American giants that is entirely separate from the FIFA label. With a new branding and potentially more creative freedom, EA Sports FC could, somewhat ironically, end up becoming the FIFA title fans have been waiting for.

Kylian Mbappe FIFA 2022

EA Sports has lost its biggest weapon in the soccer sim wars, but it may have also shed its greatest albatross. Limitations with the FIFA deal meant that EA never quite had the creative control it desired, with president David Jackson telling the BBC there were "some restrictions that weren't going to allow us to be able to build those experiences for players" because of licensing conventions agreed with FIFA 10 years previously.

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Now that EA Sports has lost this license, the obvious question is how it will continue to make games that have proper authenticity without the official partner on its side. However, deals can still be struck independently of FIFA, and licenses to players, stadiums, teams, and leagues are by no means as exclusive as they used to be when FIFA games could boast official licenses as their trump card over Pro Evolution Soccer. The good news for EA is that the studio has reportedly signed up over 19,000 athletes, 100 stadiums, 700 proper teams, and more than 30 leagues for their upcoming brand.

Fifa 22 gameplay ads billboards

The next question, of course, is where this leaves FIFA. It can still offer its official branding license to any developer or publisher willing to take the FIFA games series into the future. Indeed, it is keen to do so, but this now means that games after FIFA 23 will be produced by a different studio and will likely bear little resemblance (certainly in terms of gameplay) to the entries that preceded them. FIFA has stated it would be willing to work "with a range of partners" on future games, meaning that titles could vary radically from one another depending on the studios producing them.

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Who these studios would be, of course, is unknown, but the benefits of a partnership are obvious. The FIFA brand (and the game series itself) is a huge property, and there's little chance that every single loyal player will immediately jump ship to join EA Sports' new effort, especially considering how negatively recent EA Sport-made FIFA titles have been received. An established sports games developer, such as 2K Sports, could certainly take the series in a fresh new direction.

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As for the rest of the market, Konami's recent rebranding of PES as live-service title eFootball was a move that could potentially have caused FIFA some concern, but the game's disastrous launch and failure to rectify its major issues likely means that it won't be challenging FIFA for supremacy any time soon. Hotly anticipated, too, is the release of market newbie UFL, another free-to-play title focusing heavily on player choice, customization, and online play.

What all this could essentially boil down to, then, is a world in which there are four major soccer simulation franchises vying for a significant market share -- not to mention vital licensing agreements and branding rights. This could be great for players. For too long, the FIFA games were complacent and tired, too often rehashing old ideas in favor of making an easy buck. With four potential players entering the arena and a major shakeup to the established order imminent, it will be fascinating to see which one comes out on top following the EA/FIFA split.