EA Sports announced today that it renewed its exclusive license to develop FIFA games until Dec. 31, 2022. Electronic Arts is the only game developer and publisher allowed to release FIFA-branded games, including the official FIFA World Cup game, and will remain so for the next nine years.
The next entry in the series, FIFA 14, is strongly believed to be in development for Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen gaming consoles, the PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox, in addition to the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. FIFA 14 will likely debut at the E3 trade show in June, EA Labels President Frank Gibeau hinted yesterday.
“Our relationship with EA SPORTS is of high importance to FIFA,” FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke said in today’s announcement. “The FIFA videogames are a key experiential component in our work to communicate the FIFA brand and its values all over the world. This is highlighted by the 2.5 million football fans that have competed in this year’s FIFA Interactive World Cup, which is just one example of the power of our partnership with EA.”
EA Sports head and Executive Vice President Andrew Wilson said the company’s partnership with FIFA remains strong. The announcement also revealed that FIFA fans worldwide play 65 million games of FIFA every week.
EA will also continue to be a presenting partner of the FIFA Interactive World Cup, a worldwide FIFA video game tournament held annually.
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