The world of soccer video video games took one other twist in the present day after Konami and FIFA — for years rivals on the digital pitch — signed their first deal following the top of EA Sports activities’ long-running FIFA video games. However do not get too excited but, it is only for esports.
Konami’s Professional Evolution Soccer collection had for years tussled with EA Sports activities’ all-conquering FIFA collection earlier than lastly pivoting to the free-to-play eFootball. EA has largely cornered the market, locking up the rights to the Premier League, La Liga, and different fashionable leagues, with Konami left preventing for scraps.
EA dropped the FIFA license in 2022 amid stories that the group, which serves because the governing physique for the varied nationwide associations world wide, had requested for greater than $1 billion per four-year World Cup cycle. EA rebranded the collection as EA Sports activities FC in 2023 with comparatively few modifications. Since then there was hypothesis that Take-Two, with its 2K Video games label, would possibly tackle the FIFA license, however in August Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick mentioned that any potential competitor to EA Sports activities FC would face quite a few issues.
Now, we’ve the Konami and FIFA collaboration, which can see eFootball used for this yr’s FIFAe World Cup on each console and cellular (EA Sports activities’ FIFA video games have been utilized in earlier years). It ought to be famous that this isn’t an settlement for Konami to tackle the FIFA online game collection, or rebrand eFootball to FIFA, however it’s a notable shift within the ever-evolving dynamic between online game makers and people who maintain the keys to actual world soccer.
Clearly, EA shall be watching developments with nice curiosity. In July, EA Sports activities welcomed the potential for real competitors within the soccer online game house amid rumors of a brand new FIFA recreation coming into the market.
In Might, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed a brand new FIFA recreation was within the works, saying: “We’ll develop a brand new e-game, as a result of (the) soccer simulation recreation is named FIFA. For a whole lot of thousands and thousands of youngsters world wide, once they play (a) soccer simulation recreation, they play FIFA. It can’t be named one thing else.
“We’re growing with new companions a brand new recreation which clearly, as every thing we do, would be the finest. So prepare for the brand new FIFA e-game.”
If 2K does tackle FIFA, maybe it can relaunch as FIFA 2K, just like 2K’s already profitable annualized sports activities video games corresponding to NBA 2K. If it goes with Konami, perhaps eFIFA? Professional Evolution FIFA? Or, maybe extra possible, the easy return of FIFA with the yr popped on the top.
Wesley is the UK Information Editor for IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You’ll be able to attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
