£500m deal – Premium League & EA Sports: What Next?

Premium League closes a massive £500m deal with EA Sports: What’s in store?

In 2023, the Premier League is closing in on a massive deal with Electronic Arts for keeping the gaming developer as the sole video gaming license and the English top fight’s main partner. The gaming developers who are responsible for the smash hit series of FIFA are on the verge of agreeing to one of the biggest deals in the history of the Premier League. Reports recently claimed that the deal is worth £488 million for a span of 6 years and is to be finalized soon. In a meeting held in February 2023, the 20 Premier League Clubs were informed about the progress of the deal. This massive deal would create ripples across the sports betting fraternity and popular sites such as https://esportsbetting.com/ that host virtual tournaments, player statistics, and upcoming events.

FIFA 2023

FIFA 2023 is set to be one of the EA Sports franchise’s biggest in history leading to a 4% growth in revenue after the previous bestseller. The last iterations of the game have been spectacular hits, almost attaining a cult genre for Football e-game enthusiasts. This deal is expected to bring massive financial benefits for the top-flight teams of the tournament. The Premier League clubs could expect £80 million a year where Electronic Arts would retain the exclusivity on the e-games license. This upcoming deal is believed to be twice as large as the previous deal between the two parties involved. Industry pundits have predicted a revenue decline across traditional e-gaming sites, targeting players with simpler tastes and choices. The new-age EA games would baffle and dazzle everyone across the spectrum – from novice gamers to the most seasoned ones.

Electronic Arts

Since 2016, the EA has been one of the prominent partners in the English top flight. The company is valued at about $24.8 billion. However, the company’s commercial relationship with the League dates back to 1998 when it was established. Recently, the EA announced that they would be severing ties with FIFA which is the global governing body for soccer after a 30-year-long relationship. An announcement was made in 2022 where it was mentioned that FIFA 2023 would be the first game to include both men’s as well as women’s World Cup competitions in a single version. The new franchise in the title would be renamed as Electronic Arts Sports FC. However, the rights to stadiums, players, or clubs will not be affected since they are under a separate deal altogether. During the summer of 2023, the first edition of the Electronic Sports FC will be released to start the new franchise.

The Partnership

EA Sports is an already recognized global leader in the e-sports industry. This new partnership will deepen the integration with the Premier League for the upcoming 6 seasons. This partnership also includes on-screen branding for all of the League’s broadcasting, season awards, and fantasy premier league. This new position will also sit alongside multiple global brands as a part of the new sponsorship strategies. Electronic Arts Sports also holds the exclusive EA Game license for Premier Sports which would enable them to deliver an authentic gaming experience for fans to engage in the clubs on multiple platforms.

In A Nutshell

Richard Masters who is the MD of the Premier League mentioned that EA sports will be an amazing partner to work with. He mentioned that EA was recognized globally due to the FIFA games. Thus, this partnership would help in building a fanbase. The Global Marketing VP of EA sports, Jamie McKinlay mentioned that this expanded partnership would bring players closer to the League. 2023 would also bring an exciting twist to Fifa 17 via The Journey, which will be a brand-new model. Thus, this partnership brings in a lot of excitement and passionate fans glued to the screens. All of us are extremely excited about the collaboration and integration opportunities that this partnership would bring around.