Programming and gameplay be damned, sports games live and die on their licensing. It’s why Madden was able to crush NFL2K, and it’s why EA’s FIFA (now known as EA Sports FC) has been able to grind Konami’s PES into the dust. Not because they’re better games, but because they paid to be the only games to feature the actual teams you want to see playing in the leagues you want to see them playing in.
It should surprise nobody, then, that the sums of money involved in securing those rights are approaching astronomical levels. And while we’re not often privy to the exact figures involved—video game publishers are nothing if not secretive—a leak from the sporting side of things has given us an insight into just how much EA is paying for some of its football rights, and [whistles].
Sky reports that “20 Premier League clubs were briefed at a meeting on Friday a new six-year partnership with EA Sports worth about £488m is close to being finalised”. If finalised under…
2023-02-12 20:00:04 Report: EA Paying $588 Million For The Rights To The English Premier League
Source from kotaku.com
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), the renowned publisher of video game titles such as FIFA and Madden NFL, has acquired exclusive rights to the English Premier League (EPL) for $588 million.
EA’s majority shareholder, Activision Blizzard Inc., has announced that the five-year deal with the EPL starts in 2021 and runs through 2025. By securing exclusive rights to the EPL, EA will have a monopoly on football game titles set in England.
EA’s previous deal with the EPL expired in 2019, leaving competitors such as Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) to provide authentic English leagues in their games. Now that EA is the sole provider, gamers will no longer be able to play PES with an English league.
The deal is meant to build on the success that EA has attained from its now three decades-long franchise FIFA, thought to be the biggest sports video game franchise in the world. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, FIFA games have historically accounted for about one-third of EA’s annual sports game revenue, and the Premier League alone accounts for about 10% of FIFA sales.
EA will maintain exclusive rights with the EPL, enabling it to charge Premier League-affiliated teams featured in the game a certain fee. EA will also be able to feature licensed products of Premier League sponsors more widely thanks to the deal.
The bid to gain exclusive rights to the EPL is an aggressive move from EA, but perhaps it needs to be to remain a relevant player in the sports video game market. As competition from non-traditional sports games such as the NBA2K franchise has grown over the years, it makes sense for EA to continue to invest in furthering their sports titles.
The new deal allows EA to lock down exclusive rights to the EPL and maintain dominance in the sports video game market. It is a bold move, but it may ultimately ensure EA’s continued success in the future.