Hope you weren't expecting to see much new blood in football/soccer video games: Electronic Arts today announced it signed a continued exclusivity deal with FIFA reaching through the end of 2022.
The deal covers exclusive rights to action games like the FIFA series, management games like FIFA Manager, and special World Cup editions.
"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 in a press release. "Our franchise has become the benchmark for quality and innovation in the sports video game genre, and we look forward to many more years of connecting with consumers around the world with our games carrying the prestigious FIFA name."
Locking down the series is a no-brainer for EA--FIFA 13 sold 13.5 million units in the company's 2013 fiscal year, a 30 percent increase over FIFA 12's performance. Strong digital revenue from the main game, FIFA Online, and FIFA World Class Soccer accounted for almost $350 million throughout the year.
EA retains control over virtual versions of the world's largest sport with the FIFA license extension, though its monopoly on American football is at the center of an ongoing settlement process. The ink is still drying on a five-year exclusive Star Wars deal with Disney, so the publisher has plenty of exclusives to keep it busy.
