Licensing has never really been an issue for EA and the FIFA franchise as they dominate that market, but recently they have hit some trouble!
Konami has put up a real fight in Serie A, already claiming five (four in FIFA 22) clubs and forcing EA to go alternative in names.
It looks like another club is in the firing line for Konami ahead of FIFA 23, with AC Milan's exclusivity deal with EA coming to an end.
Ciao for now
The following statement was released on EA's website on Friday, 29 March.
To Our Football Community,
Starting on July 1, 2022, we are ending our exclusive marketing partnership with AC Milan.
This will not change your experience through EA SPORTS FIFA, as our in-game licensing agreement with the club continues.
What this means is AC Milan’s club crest, identity, stadium and player names, etc. will remain the same, and they will still be featured within the game and playable in all of the same ways.
We’ve included the below FAQ section to answer any questions you may have about this update.
Thank you for your continued support.
What's next?
As EA mentioned, they opened up an FAQ section for the news.
For now, nothing will change in terms of playing as AC Milan in any of the current EA Sports FIFA titles.
This means AC Milan’s club crest, identity, stadium, and player names will all remain the same.
There will be no update changing the way the game is played in any of FIFA 22's game modes, including Career Mode, Ultimate Team, and Kick-Off.
Changing franchise
Will AC Milan become the latest Serie A club to make the franchise switch from FIFA to eFootball (PES)?
Juventus, Atalanta, Lazio, and Roma are all exclusive to Konami's franchise, forcing EA to change the names of the clubs to Piemonte Calcio, Bergamo Calcio, Latium, and Roma FC respectively.
We already know FIFA 22 is Napoli's last season in the franchise too, so we await to see what their name will become.
It looks as though Inter's exclusive deal with EA is intact, but their rivals AC Milan could now be on the move... just not yet.