Just under five months since FC 24 was released, rumours about football's next video game are already beginning to emerge, and they could spell bad news for EA.
That's because FIFA and 2K are making the headlines as speculation mounts over a potential partnership, which could signal the start of a fierce rivalry between EA and their former partner of 30+ years.
As FIFA and 2K reportedly work towards an official announcement to mark their collaboration, we thought we'd revisit the remarks made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has already set a very high bar when it comes to future FIFA games.
Infantino sets high bar for rumoured 2K FIFA game
"We will have news on this very soon," is what Infantino said when speaking about a FIFA video game in March last year. Fast forward nearly 12 months later and we haven't heard anything since, although fresh rumours about a partnership between FIFA and 2K perhaps indicate that an official update is finally on the way.
Mike Straw, who is the Senior Editor for Insider Gaming, took to social media this week to say he's heard rumours that FIFA and 2K are working to announce a partnership that will see 2K make an officially licensed FIFA game.
Although information remains very limited at this stage, sources have told Straw that talks have been going on for some time and all options remain on the table.
Granted, it doesn't confirm anything relating to the latest rumours, but we do know that FIFA plans on going head to head with EA by launching a rival video game, which had already been announced by Infantino.
"The new FIFA game - the FIFA 25, 26, 27 and so on, will always be the best egame for any girl or boy."
Whilst we don't expect Infantino to say any different being the President of FIFA, it's good to know that a very high bar has been set for what awaits and suggests he is confident about the direction in which the game is heading. As well as increasing the expectations, Infantino's statement would have come as a warning to EA, who must prepare for strong competition moving forward.
FIFA and EA parted ways in 2023 which spelled the end of their 30-year relationship. It resulted in FIFA 23 being the final instalment of the beloved game before EA created the EA FC franchise ahead of its debut last September.
Time will tell how much truth the latest rumours carry, but it does feel like it's a matter of when and not if FIFA makes a return to the video game industry.
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