It seems EA is keen on protecting its investments. After snatching up multiple domain dot-coms for its Battlefield series, the publisher also announced an agreement made with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) that will extend the company's existing licensing agreement until December 31, 2022.
This means any future FIFA-branded video games will fly under the Electronic Arts banner. EA Sports also holds exclusive rights to release the official FIFA World Cup video game, as well as retaining its status as a Presenting Partner of the FIFA Interactive World Cup.
"EA Sports released the first FIFA-branded soccer game in 1993, and 20 years later our partnership with FIFA continues to be very strong," said Andrew Wilson, Executive Vice President and Head of EA SPORTS. "Our franchise has become the benchmark for quality and innovation in the sports videogame genre, and we look forward to many more years of connecting with consumers around the world with our games carrying the prestigious FIFA name."
Seriously, this extension should not a surprise given the success EA has had with the FIFA license in the recent years. The yearly soccer series continues to be one of the publisher's premiere sports titles — alongside Madden and NCAA Football. Just yesterday, the company announced that 14.5 million copies of FIFA 13 have been sold to date, representing a 30% increase over FIFA 12 in the prior year. Looking ahead, EA will release FIFA 14 later this year with a series of new features that "capture the emotion of scoring goals."
