EA Sports set to spend nearly £500m on English Premier League for first non-FIFA game

FIFA 23 was the final game by EA Sports in their deal with FIFA

Back in 2022, it was confirmed that EA Sports and FIFA would be parting ways, officially making FIFA 23 the final outing in their partnership. Reports at the time suggested that FIFA had been looking for "at least double" the €142 million it received annually from EA Sports to use the licence. The New York Times says it "quickly became clear there were different expectations" regarding what a new deal should constitute, and rumours began circulating that FIFA were actually looking for somewhere in the region of $1 billion. This week, Sky Sports reported that EA Sports have spent £488 million on a new six-year deal that will allow them to retain the rights to the English Premier League. The 20 Premier League clubs were reportedly briefed at a meeting on Friday that the new partnership with EA Sports worth about £488m is close to being finalised. One club executive said it would deliver more than £80m annually, and would consist of EA remaining as the league's lead partner as well as retaining its exclusive electronic game licence. The lucrative extension is said to be worth more than double the existing deal involving the two parties. This will be for EA's first non-FIFA game in quite some time, with their upcoming new game, EA Sports FC, having no access to the World Cup. On the flipside, EA has signed deals with hundreds of teams and athletes, as well as more than 30 leagues, allowing it to retain real-world names and venues. A spokesperson for EA Sports stated the following: "Everything you love about our games will be part of EA SPORTS FC – the same great experiences, modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes will be there. Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA Football will all be there. "Our unique licensing portfolio of more than 19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues that we’ve continued to invest in for decades will still be there, uniquely in EA SPORTS FC. That includes exclusive partnerships with the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, the MLS – and more to come." Related stories:

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