Just two days ahead of the first EA FC 24 title launching, it appears that Electronic Arts has cleared all previous FIFA games from digital storefronts.
Just a few days ago you could log into any console’s digital store and find more than a handful of FIFA titles floating around at various price points. Now, searching for arguably the most popular franchise in gaming will get you almost nowhere.
On Xbox and PlayStation stores you can still see things like FIFA Points that players would use in the Ultimate Team game mode available for purchase. On the Nintendo Switch, however, you will only see free commentary downloads, while Steam doesn’t have anything listed for previous FIFA titles—though it also had fewer released on the platform overall.
EA has not openly acknowledged these massive delistings which make it impossible to purchase even the most recent FIFA title, FIFA 23. The last FIFA game still has over 30,000 average daily players on Steam alone, according to Steam Charts.
It isn’t uncommon to see older sports games, specifically from EA, delisted after a number of newer versions have been released. For example, Madden NFL 20 is no longer available digitally, but you can still get Madden 21 through 24 on PlayStation and Xbox, although Steam only offers Madden 22 and up.
It is likely that EA opting to not renew its license with FIFA and rebrand its mega-title to EA Sports FC starting this year also came with the caveat that the company can no longer actively sell even some newer FIFA titles. The fact that FIFA 22 and 23 both still have microtransactions for Ultimate Team available raises some questions about that, however.
EA could very well have just removed the games to try and better promote EA FC 24, which launches on Sept. 28 and is prominently featured on every digital store’s front page. And it appears that, unless you have a physical copy of any delisted title or previously purchased them digitally, you can no longer access these games since they have also been removed from EA Play.
Dot Esports has reached out to EA for comment on the delistings.
Published: Sep 26, 2023 03:04 pm