Electronic Arts (EA) reported a 25% increase in pre-release sign-ups for its newly rebranded football game, EA Sports FC, compared to last year’s Fifa series.
The Silicon Valley-based company recently ended its 30-year partnership with Fifa, football’s world governing body. EA revealed that 6.8 million people have paid for early access to the game, which was previously known as the Fifa video game series, reports The Financial Times.
The early access window for EA Sports FC was extended to seven days, up from three days in 2022. EA’s partnership with Fifa had been generating about $150 million annually for the governing body. Since its debut in 1993, EA’s football franchise has sold hundreds of millions of copies and has more than 150 million regular players across various platforms.
“It is not an exaggeration to suggest that the rebranding of the Fifa series to EA Sports FC is one of the most important moments in EA’s history,” said Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at Ampere Analysis.
EA’s CEO, Andrew Wilson, stated last month that the company had deployed a “giant marketing budget” for the new branding. “We are literally rallying the entire company behind this launch more than we ever have in the 40 years of the company’s history around any launch [and] we feel very good about it,” he told analysts during the fiscal first-quarter earnings call.
The game will feature more than 700 teams and 19,000 players across over 30 leagues, covering both men’s and women’s football. EA Sports FC has also become the title sponsor of La Liga, Spain’s football league, replacing Santander.
The rebranding comes as EA shifts its focus from PC and console games to developing cross-platform experiences. The company chose not to renew its agreement with Fifa after the organization sought a significant increase in fees during last year’s negotiations.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has promised to launch a new football game under Fifa’s own branding, although no details have been released.
Check out the EA Sports FC trailer below:
Click here to order EA Sports FC on Amazon.ca—the game is available on Xbox, PS5, PS4 and Nintendo Switch and starts from $79 and delivers as soon as tomorrow.
