It came to light last month that EA Sports might have to rename its FIFA video game franchise. Basically, the actual FIFA — the Fédération Internationale de Football Association — wants EA to cough up more money for the rights to its name, and the publisher didn’t seem keen on giving in to the demands. It was even entertaining the idea of rebranding to ‘EA Sports FC‘ — a title that it’s already trademarked in the UK and Europe.
And it sounds like the two juggernauts still aren’t any closer to a mutual agreement. Speaking to the Financial Times (subscription), EA’s FIFA branding boss David Jackson reiterates “we are not certain that we will move forward with FIFA as a naming rights partner”.
The publication describes the scenario as a “bitter dispute”, but EA doesn’t seem to be overly worried about losing the name. Jackson is quick to point out the continued commercial success of FIFA: “[FIFA] has lots and lots of players […] we don’t see why that would change in the future.”
But as the Financial Times explains, it’s this huge success that’s pushing FIFA and other footballing bodies to haggle for a bigger slice of the pie. There’s a suggestion that EA would be making a mistake if it was to back down, as it could encourage additional demands from clubs and players.
How do you think this is going to end? Will FIFA (the game) still be called FIFA in five years’ time? Save your money in the comments section below.
