EA sees other publishers circling, announces more rights deals for FC 25
By Brian Allen
You know how you cancelled your cable subscription and then signed up for a bunch of streaming services that cost you more? I fear EA Sports may be about to do the same thing with soccer licensing rights.
EA paid FIFA $150 million annually for the right to use its license in soccer games, FIFA's largest financial deal outside of World Cup events. FIFA reportedly wanted double that amount to continue the deal, leading EA to opt out and rechristen its game EA Sports FC.
EA's competitors are hoping hammering their own licensing deals might place a few dents in EA Sports FC's armor. Inter Milan and AC Milan have signed deals with Konami's eFootball franchise. EA Sports today countered by announcing deals with Italian squads AS Roma and SSC Napoli, and marketing partnerships with Fenerbahçe SK, Galatasaray S.K., FK Bodø/Glimt, and Argentinean League Liga Profesional de Futbol.
The AS Roma partnership will include both men's and women's clubs. For the first time in the series history, FC 25's career mode will feature women's leagues. Included in this year's career mode are Barclays Women's Super League, Arkema Première Ligue, the National Women's Soccer League, the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga, Liga F, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League competition.
According to EA, these leagues will have their own storylines and create a separate experience from the men's leagues in career mode.
EA also mentioned that more than 120 football stadiums from across the globe will appear in FC 25. Additions to this year's title include River Plate’s Mâs Monumental, Feyenoord Rotterdam’s De Kuip, Sporting CP’s Estádio José Alvalade, Galatasaray S.K.’s Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi Rams Park, and Fenerbahçe’s Ülker Stadyumu, Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi.