EA Sports has revealed the reasons behind their upcoming split from FIFA, which will take place at the conclusion of FIFA 23. While money was surely a factor in the decision, CEO of Electronic Arts Andrew Wilson and Vice President of EA Sports David Jackson have told the media about the various factors that went into the decision, and what's next for the leading developer of soccer video games in EA Sports FC.
Speaking to The New York Times, EA boss Andrew Wilson said a lot of the company's motivation was to improve players' experiences without restrictions.
"It was really about how can we do more for the players, more for the fans, how can we offer them more modalities to play," he said. "How can we bring more partners into the game, how can we expand beyond the bounds of the traditional game."
Those restrictions were hinted at by Jackson, who explained that to progress with the future of soccer games at EA, they would have to expand past the restrictions set by FIFA 10 years ago.
"The world of football and the world of entertainment are changing, and they clash within our product. In the future our players will demand of us the ability to be more expansive in that offering," Jackson stated.
He added. "Under the licensing conventions that we had agreed with FIFA 10 years ago, there were some restrictions that weren't going to allow us to be able to build those experiences for players."
During EA's recent financial report, the company stated it was thankful for its partnership with FIFA, and credited FIFA 22 for having the series' most successful launch to date. FIFA 23 is set to be the last collaboration between FIFA and EA Sports and will arrive in the Fall of 2022.
