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Dimapur, October 18 (EMN): FIFA has suggested that it wants to end its exclusive partnership with Electronic Arts (EA) and "widen its gaming and esports portfolio", the company said in a statement.
FIFA says that it is reassessing its approach to esports and the gaming industry and it hopes to look beyond EA for the future of its football games.
On its blog, FIFA wrote, "FIFA will adopt a new commercial positioning in gaming and eSports to ensure that it is best placed to make decisions that benefit all football stakeholders. FIFA is bullish and excited about the future in gaming and eSports for football, and it is clear that this needs to be a space that is occupied by more than one party controlling all rights."
To achieve its new vision, FIFA is reportedly in talks with a lot of developers and gaming companies to create a landscape where its gaming identity is leveraged outside of EA's FIFA series of games.
"Technology and mobile companies are now actively competing to be associated with FIFA, its platforms, and global tournaments. Consequently, FIFA is engaging with various industry players, including developers, investors and analysts, to build out a long-term view of the gaming, eSports and interactive entertainment sector," wrote FIFA.
FIFA believes that the new approach will enable new experiences and possibilities for its fans and consumers.
"The outcome will ensure that FIFA has a range of suitable parties with specialist capabilities to actively shape the best possible experiences and offerings for fans and consumers. Gaming and eSports are the fastest-growing media verticals on the planet, with new and diverse types of games launching continuously. It is therefore of crucial importance for FIFA and its stakeholders to maximise all future opportunities for football and gaming fans," wrote FIFA.
While EA hasn’t officially responded to FIFA's statement, given the thirty-year relationship between the two, it would be interesting to see how the future of FIFA games will look like following these changes.