Up until now, there’s little information about the new EA Sports FC game. It’s the title that will replace the historic FIFA football simulator, an iconic videogame that will change its official name. But that’s not the only major change expected. Even though there’s not much information, in this article we share all the details that have been leaked.
From the reasons of the name change, to other changes related to graphic and gameplay issues. EA Sports EF is the new star in the Electronic Arts universe and we are eager to play it.
Why does the new EA Sports FC change the title?
The name FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) is the organization that governs football worldwide. As it’s a trademarked brand, you need to pay a license fee in order to use the name. In terms of revenue, football is one of the businesses that haven’t stopped growing and FIFA wants to make the most money out of the brand. While the exact amount is not known, the problem is that EA doesn’t want to see the earnings reduced.
Given that the agreement couldn’t be reached, FIFA and EA severed ties. Electronic Arts can no longer call its football simulator FIFA. The new name of the simulator is EA Sports FC. The company has also undergone internal restructuring, dividing itself into two parts. On the one hand, there’s the sports simulator division with a great portion of the resources. On the other hand the group that will dedicate itself to other EA games. The main goal of this change is to make the company more efficient when developing videogames.
Goodbye to the voices of Paco González and Manolo Lama
The main voices of Paco González and Manolo Lama in the Spanish version will change after 20 years. Both journalists are currently directors of Tiempo de Juego no Cadena COPE (a Spanish radio station). However, they will not return for the new EA Sports FC. There’s no information about Antonio Ruiz, a colleague that occasionally spoke on FIFA 23.
The reason behind the commentators departure are not known yet. It can be related to the great amount of work they have, as they work practically every day. Paco leads Tiempo de Juego, a radio program that starts on Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00 PM until midnight. He is also one of the commentators of UEFA Champions League matches on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and relates matches of the Spanish National Team.
In the case of Manolo, he is also the director of the program but doesn’t narrate the entire round of matches. He mainly focuses on the narration of Real Madrid matches. Manolo travels along the team when they play away, whether in Spain or Europe. He is also travelling with the Spanish National Team international matches.
Because of this heavy workload and other commitments it’s normal to think that they have decided to set aside being the voices of the game.
What will happen to national and international leagues?
Right now there is no information about this issue. el would be reaching individual agreements with each of the leagues. Additionally, they will need to reach agreements with clubs and retired players if they want them participating in the game. It’s a costly and slow process.
The main international tournaments are already confirmed, such as:
- UEFA Champions League
- UEFA Europa League
- UEFA Europa Conference League
- UEFA Women’s Champions League
- CONMEBOL Libertadores
- CONMEBOL Sudamericana
England league is of the easiest to close. In FIFA 23 it had 4 licenses, including three lower categories and the Premier League. There are also the cups FA and Carabao. The French Ligue 1 is also close to confirmation as well as the French second division, and there are talks with Bundesliga from Germany, Serie A TIM from Italy and La Liga Santander from Spain.
Other leagues such as Argentina, China, South Korea, Poland, Portugal and Scotland are yet to be confirmed.