Rumors are circulating that FIFA, the company partly behind the hit football simulation game FIFA 22, might become a fixture of Take-Two’s 2K digital sporting portfolio. While neither company has taken a solid position for or against a future collaboration, no one can argue that FIFA would be an incredible addition to the Take-Two 2K retinue.
In truth, Take-Two has been somewhat vague in its responses to the rumors. In one interview with IGN, its CEO, Strauss Zelnick, said: ‘We’re definitely interested in expanding our opportunities in sports, and FIFA has a great brand and incredible clout, but we have no current plans to discuss.’ This would suggest that while Take-Two praises FIFA for its past achievements, they have no interest in collaborating with them in the immediate future.
However, during the most recent earnings call, Zelnick seems to have amplified rumors with a statement about FIFA as a potential business partner. ‘Well, we noticed [that the FIFA license is up for grabs], and we tend to be thoughtful about our business at all times. We’re excited about building out our sports business and we don’t have much else to say at the moment.’
As Zelnick said, Take-Two and 2K are definitely interested in expanding their already formidable portfolio of sports titles, and what better way to do that than through a partnership with FIFA?
FIFA will release one last game developed with Electronics Arts before the expiration of their highly publicized deal. With FIFA 23 on the horizon, EA already has plans for its own global football phenomenon EA Sports FC. FIFA has said that it is working on numerous other non-simulation games within the FIFA football series, but further, than that, the company is not as of yet spoken for in terms of a new contractual agreement.
This, and the fact that Take-Two keeps mentioning the words FIFA, business, expand, and opportunities in the same sentence, is ultimately what may have started the rumor mill. While it would be incredible to have some semblance of the FIFA gaming series back in the hands of a true developer, we won’t know what’s in store for the football association until it and Take-Two release a new statement. Until then, we have EA Sports FC and numerous games within the FIFA series to look forward to.
In case we’ve accidentally released a spoiler and you hadn’t heard about the latest EA-FIFA developments, here’s the gist of it: EA is saying goodbye to FIFA for good and launching its own global interactive sporting platform, EA Sports FC.
