FIFA License With EA Sports Extended Through 2022

One day after discussing the huge success that has been the FIFA franchise EA Sports has announced an extension to the current licensing agreement with FIFA that will stretch all the way though 2022. EA retains exclusive rights to FIFA branded games and that also includes the World Cup – the next entry of which should release late April or May 2014.

In the investor call yesterday EA cited long-term deals in place with partners such as the NFL, FIFA, NBA, and NHL. Of course the NFL exclusive ends after this next release unless something has been struck and not yet made public. An announcement of an extension could come at any time. It would seem unlikely for both parties to enter a lame duck year with so much on the line transitioning to the next generation. Check out this article from March summarizing the current picture of where things stand when it comes to NFL exclusivity.