After Decades With EA, FIFA Signs Esports Deal With Konami
In 2022, longtime collaborators EA and FIFA split up, leading EA’s best-selling FIFA soccer games to rebrand as EA Sports FC. That left FIFA without a video game company to partner with… until now. Konami–whose Pro Evolution Soccer games previously competed with EA’s FIFA titles–has now struck an epsorts deal with FIFA for the FIFAe World Cup.
As announced on Konami’s official site, the company’s eFootball games will be utilized for two different FIFAe World Cup tournaments: one for mobile and one for consoles. However, the deal between Konami and FIFA is only for esports, and doesn’t involve a new console game or rebranding eFootball as a FIFA title.
“We are incredibly excited to join forces with Konami,” said FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai in a statement. “This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to promote football globally and to provide a platform for players to showcase their skills. We truly believe in an inclusive ecosystem which allows different communities to be part of the FIFAe competitions.”