The world of soccer video video games took one other twist at this time after Konami and FIFA — for years rivals on the digital pitch — signed their first deal following the top of EA Sports’ 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’ 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 common leagues, with Konami left combating for scraps.
EA dropped the FIFA license in 2022 amid studies that the group, which serves because the governing physique for the assorted nationwide associations world wide, had requested for greater than $1 billion per four-year World Cup cycle. EA rebranded the collection as EA Sports FC in 2023 with comparatively few adjustments. 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 stated that any potential competitor to EA Sports FC would face quite a few issues.
Now, we’ve got the Konami and FIFA collaboration, which is able to see eFootball used for this 12 months’s FIFAe World Cup on each console and cell (EA Sports’ 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 those that maintain the keys to actual world soccer.
Clearly, EA will probably be watching developments with nice curiosity. In July, EA Sports welcomed the potential for real competitors within the soccer online game house amid rumors of a brand new FIFA sport getting into the market.
In Could, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed a brand new FIFA sport was within the works, saying: “We are going to develop a brand new e-game, as a result of (the) soccer simulation sport is known as FIFA. For a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of kids world wide, once they play (a) soccer simulation sport, they play FIFA. It can’t be named one thing else.
“We’re creating with new companions a brand new sport which clearly, as every part we do, would be the finest. So prepare for the brand new FIFA e-game.”
If 2K does tackle FIFA, maybe it is going to relaunch as FIFA 2K, just like 2K’s already profitable annualized sports activities video games comparable to NBA 2K. If it goes with Konami, possibly eFIFA? Professional Evolution FIFA? Or, maybe extra seemingly, the straightforward return of FIFA with the 12 months popped on the top.
Wesley is the UK Information Editor for IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.