Surely EA wouldn't change the name of its most popular game... would they?
Despite the recent launch of FIFA 22, EA has revealed that the name of the game could change in years to come according to EA Sports Group General Manager, Cam Weber.
Check out the full release below and what it could mean for the future of football gaming.
Record-breaking release
First off, let's take a step back. The launch of FIFA 22 has been incredibly successful for EA, as stated in their latest press release.
"Since launch, we’ve already had 9.1 million players join the game, 7.6 million Ultimate Team squads created and 460 million matches played.
"We will continue delivering amazing experiences throughout this season, but first - a heartfelt thank you to our incredible community of football fans."
Not a bad start to the season, but it is further down in the press release that has caught the eye of the FIFA community.
New name, who 'dis?
Let's dive right in and see the exact statement from Weber that has got us all in a frenzy!
"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."
The name FIFA does match the world governing body of football which can be a tad confusing, especially when it comes to licensing.
What could this mean?
The license battle between EA and Konami is well-documented, and let's be honest no one wants to have generic team names in the game.
A Career Mode with Piemonte Calcio (Juventus) just is not the same without the proper licensing, so it is a major concern for many players.
A name change for the game shouldn't mean a loss of licenses as FIFA does not provide them, it is the agreement with FIFPro that we should all be wary of!
Fingers crossed it does not lead to a loss of teams, leagues, or competitions in the game, but with more competitors building towards release it is a crucial period for both EA and Konami.
Community call
As expected, the FIFA community has jumped all over the news with loads of name suggestions.
Re-naming it after an old coach/pundit is a great idea, and we love 'Allardyce Football 23' from Mark Doherty!
Another suggestion from Daniel Ahmad is a bit more tongue-in-cheek, with eA Football possibly rivaling Konami's new eFootball game.
It would be great if EA left it up to the community to decide, but we have seen things like this in the past, FIFA McFIFAface anyone?
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