After months of speculation that EA will be parting ways with FIFA, the silence has finally been broken by EA.
Plenty of rumours have been circulating over the past several weeks, some suggesting that FIFA 22 could be the last in the franchise and others stating that the game we know and love could be due a name change.
EA has, at last, given an official statement announcing that FIFA 23 will be the last EA Sports FIFA title in the franchise.
Many FIFA fans have been left wondering, what does this mean for the game itself? We're taking a look at what will actually be changing within the game once the transition is made to EA Sports FC.
EA Sports FC confirmed
It's official... 'EA Sports FC' has been confirmed by the EA Sports FIFA Twitter account!
You can check out the EA Sports FC promo video via the Tweet below.
So, it seems that the transition from 'FIFA' to 'EA Sports FC' has been completed.
According to multiple reports, the name change of the EA Sports title called FIFA has come about because EA and FIFA cannot come to an agreement on cost and new revenue streams going forward.
As far as we understand, FIFA 23 will still go ahead as normal, but this will likely be the final 'EA Sports FIFA' title in the franchise.
Different name, same game
The EA Sports FC announcement sent the FIFA community into meltdown.
However, it seems there is no need to overreact as EA has provided some clarity on the changes that will actually be made to the game itself.
EA released the following statement regarding the game modes in EA Sports FC:
"Everything you love about our games will be part of EA SPORTS FC – the same great experiences, modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes will be there. Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA Football will all be there."
So, it seems that the biggest change to the game will be the loss of its 'FIFA' title and not the gameplay or game modes themselves.
Beloved game modes remain
The important thing to note is that despite FIFA (the organisation) becoming synonymous with FIFA (the game), FIFA (the game) is not reliant on FIFA (the organisation).
The license with FIFA allows EA to use the organization’s name, logo and the rights to the World Cup, so there won't be much difference in the game itself.
We now have confirmation that the following game modes will remain in the game once the first EA Sports FC title is released:
- Ultimate Team
- Career Mode
- Pro Clubs
- VOLTA Football
We can, however, expect gameplay changes from one EA Sports FC title to the next, just like we have seen within the FIFA series.
Fundamentally, though, the FIFA game will remain largely the same when it becomes EA Sports FC.