The return of "FIFA" to the gaming industry is here, but no, it will not be with Electronic Arts Sports (EA Sports) as it was recently announced that Netflix will be the new game's platform.
New 'FIFA' Game Is Coming From Netflix
Netflix announced via its Tudum website that it is now the next partner of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to usher in the return of the league's official game in the market.
According to Netflix, the next "FIFA" game is coming by next summer amidst the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026 event.
The streaming company claimed that the next "FIFA" game will deliver a reimagined football simulation game that will be exclusively available via Netflix Games, available to download for free by subscribers.
This means that users only need to have an existing and active Netflix subscription or sign up for the experience to access the return of "FIFA."
Netflix Games will serve as the platform for the next "FIFA" game, but the company will not be the one responsible for developing and publishing the next title as that responsibility falls to another partner.
The announcement revealed that Delphi Interactive will develop and publish this new "FIFA" game, with the game development studio best known for being a co-developer on the upcoming action-spy title, "007 First Light."
That said, it is important to note that Netflix Games is currently exclusive to mobileonly, with its games available on both iOS and Android via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, respectively.
EA Sports, FIFA Burn Bridges
The last game developed by EA Sports for the FIFA organization was "FIFA 23," which was last released in 2022, available for the PC platform, consoles, and mobile platforms.
It has already been three years since EA and FIFA burned bridges after failing to come to an agreement over the licensing of the brand for game development.
According to GameRant, FIFA was reportedly seeking a $1 billion licensing fee from EA Sports to renew its partnership, packaging a four-year video game deal way back in 2021.
This led to EA developing their own football simulator game that uses the studio's name as the title, debuting "EA Sports FC 24" as their first official soccer title since their partnership with FIFA. The game saw top reviews when it released as it delivered the experience that players saw in previous "FIFA" games.
