FIFA 22 PS5 PS4

Electronic Arts is reviewing its licensing agreement with FIFA that lets it use the brand for its ultra-popular football games.

FIFA, or Federation Internationale de Football Association, is the organisation that governs global football (or soccer, if you want), and it's also been the name of EA Sports' annual series for decades. Now, following the successful release of FIFA 22, the publisher is considering a rebrand.

In a new press release on the EA website, Cam Weber of EA Sports says the company is "exploring the idea of renaming our global EA SPORTS football games". Weber continues: "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."

As the press release highlights, the FIFA games are what they are in no small part to hundreds of licences, allowing EA to feature official teams, leagues, stadiums, and player names and likenesses. It sounds as though all of this would remain in place — the discussion here is purely about the FIFA brand in the game's title. While it's possible nothing will change, it's equally likely that EA's footie sims will go by a different name in the future.

Our first reaction is that the games in question and the FIFA brand are practically inseparable at this point; fans walk into a shop, or browse PlayStation Store, looking for the new FIFA every year. A name change could easily cause some confusion. However, from a business standpoint, it probably makes sense — with the games being as popular as they are, EA could save a wedge of cash dropping the FIFA brand. If everything else remains in place, would it really make that big of a dent in the publisher's bottom line?

What do you reckon? Should EA Sports keep the FIFA name around, or forge a new path with a rebrand? Do a goal in the comments section below.

[source ir.ea.com, via twitter.com]