It's been said that nothing is permanent in this world except for three things: death, taxes, and change.
So, while EA Sports and FIFA have been synonymous with each other, at least as far as soccer sports simulations go, it appears that the nearly-30-year partnership will change soon.
Journalist and industry insider Jeff Grubb claimed on his premium show, Grubbsnax, that Electronic Arts will change the name of its soccer franchise soon to "EA Sports Football Club, EA Sports FC." This would line up with the recent rumors about EA's ongoing struggle against FIFA that saw the publisher's CEO, Andrew Wilson, claim that the brand is holding the best-selling sports sim franchise back.
However, if the name change is going to happen, it might not be until next year as EA is reportedly planning to release FIFA 23 later this year.
(Rumor) According to Jeff Grubb on the latest GrubbSnax, FIFA has updated their trademark to include videogames and is developing their own football game
Also confirmed the new name for EA's Football Series is called EA Sports F(ootball) C(lub)
Trademarkhttps://t.co/s4moYDEmBn pic.twitter.com/F1ZLdrMKQK
— Idle Sloth💙💛 (@IdleSloth84) March 24, 2022
Having said that, the divide between EA and FIFA is no secret, as the two have had a long-standing dispute. Although many are still hoping that the two companies can work things out, the recent reports suggest otherwise. The good news here is that the separation from FIFA will give EA Sports Football Club much more freedom to represent the soccer world in a more accurate and fan-oriented way.
Only time will tell if changing the name is going to do EA Sports' soccer games more harm than good. A recent example of things turning out for the worse is with eFootball, which debuted in September. As soon as the game made its debut, fans review-bombed the former Pro Evolution Soccer series by Konami to the point that it became the worst-reviewed on Steam ever, and not just of this year.
In other EA news, the controversial publisher has seen better days. EA admitted to its shortcomings in February in an internal "Town Hall" meeting call following Battlefield 2042's colossal failure with EA promising more changes coming to the live-service title as well as future Battlefield games in March. Also, speaking of changes, Electronic Arts will not hold EA Play later this year to focus on individual games showcases.
