Since 1993, the name FIFA has been as synonymous with gaming as it is with football. FIFA International Soccer set the benchmark for the modern football simulation, and in the years since, it has become the only title on the market to survive. One by one, its competitors, such as Actua Soccer and PES, have fallen by the wayside. It now makes Electronic Arts a reported $4bn ($5.34bn AUD) revenue from its live-action sales alone.

However, that could change after news confirming that FIFA 23 will be the final EA Sports football game to bear the popular name. Their 30-year relationship is ending, meaning a rebrand, if not an entirely different game, for the football title. EA CEO Andrew Wilson is relaxed about the news, telling Nintendo Life, “what we get from FIFA in a non-World Cup year is the four letters on the front of the box.” The four letters will seemingly be replaced by just two: FC, as in ES Sports FC, the suggested new name for the franchise.

Will the split be a blow for EA, or as they’ve suggested, has it held them back? Much depends on the plans for the World Cup, the one aspect of the license which will impact EA’s franchise. There’s a World Cup in Qatar later this year, at which England, Brazil, Argentina and a host of other football heavyweights will participate. Australia might have to wait; they were recently beaten 1-0 by Japan in a crucial qualifier but are still ranked in the latest Ladbrokes markets as being as likely to lift the trophy as Afcon winners Senegal. Whoever does qualify will feature in the final World Cup under the EA brand, but where will it go next? Is it a big issue for EA to lose the competition? Could those football heavyweights, and Australia, hold more value than EA Sports believe?

The answer is maybe. EA Sports have been rocked in recent years by losing some teams, such as Juventus and Lazio. Once upon a time, their rivals PES were known for having false names, and FIFA had the licenses. That ensured FIFA retained market share when their actual gameplay was not up to scratch. If they keep losing teams and players, it might get more difficult to hold those customers. Konami’s flagship title, PES, recently went to a freemium model under a new name and, as yet, it hasn’t been a success, but with the European Championship license in their grasp, adding the World Cup could be a game-changer, whether Australia make it or not.

EA Sports suffered another minor blow recently when they were forced to remove Diego Maradona from their FUT mode due to licensing issues. He has been a key figure within their icons range, which features legends of the past, but a row over his image rights saw their previous commercial agreement with Stefano Ceci ruled null and void. Yet again, EA has been forced to remove a popular brand from their game.

FIFA 22 was groundbreaking, branded as the most realistic and immersive game yet. The reality is different; players have long complained about the developer focusing on their money-making Ultimate Team mode and the lack of investment in other areas, such as career mode, that have no additional monetary value for the developer. They’ll be around $860m ($1.4bn AUD) better off from the beginning of 2023; they might have to invest that in game development to offset the loss of those four box letters and, more importantly, the lucrative World Cup. That could be compounded by events happening at the real FIFA; there’s a motion to stage a World Cup every other year. If that were the case, then the FIFA license would be much more valuable and may well be in possession of Konami, finally giving them the edge in the football game battle. Only time will tell if EA has made a wise decision or made one of the biggest marketing mistakes of the digital age.