EA secures multi-year UEFA exclusivity extension, announces future plans for FIFA franchise

As part of its investor’s call and earnings report for the last quarter, which ended on Dec. 31, Electronic Arts confirmed the company has secured an extension on licensing exclusivity with the Union of European Football Associations. 

Along with the multi-year agreement for continued exclusivity rights to the Champions League, Europa League, and Super Cup for the FIFA series, EA also announced multiple new FIFA projects currently in development. 

Currently, there are six different mobile titles in the works using the FIFA brand, with the goal being to continue growing the FIFA fandom by further expanding into the mobile games market. These titles range from “authentic simulation to unique arcade formats offering new ways to play for everyone.”

Likewise, EA wants to capitalize on the free-to-play market that doesn’t play its traditional FIFA franchise by continuing to support the free-to-download FIFA Online 4 title. The spin-off will be made available for the first time in countries like Russia, Poland, Turkey, and more in the near future. 

FIFA 21 will also be coming to Google Stadia on March 17, which should allow more players to play the latest version of the series on devices that might not meet the technical requirements through the cloud streaming service. 

Related: Google shifts Stadia to focus on cloud technology and partnerships, closes internal game studios

Through the current fiscal year, EA SPORTS titles have “engaged more than 230 million people” and FIFA’s Ultimate Team mode alone recorded nearly six million active daily players in December. 

During the last quarter alone, EA has increased its “live service” games revenue to $1.5 billion year-over-year, while the FIFA franchise surpassed 325 million units sold overall. 

“Our vision is to create the most authentic, social and connected football experience by bringing our games to more devices, more countries, and more fans around the world,” EA SPORTS VP DJ Jackson, said. “EA SPORTS continues to rapidly transform how fans consume sport, evolving football from a passive and scheduled experience to an interactive one, accessible at any time. This is the world’s game, and EA SPORTS is doing everything we can to further connect players, athletes, clubs, and leagues and grow the love of football, globally.”