Electronic Arts to Drop ‘FIFA’ From Title of Soccer Videogame Franchise

Electronic Arts said last year that it was exploring the idea of renaming its mega-popular soccer franchise, an indication then that talks with FIFA weren’t going well. At the time, soccer’s global governing body said: “It is clear that this needs to be a space that is occupied by more than one party controlling all rights.”

On Tuesday, EA said it was thankful for its years of partnership with FIFA. The New York Times earlier reported that the partnership between EA and FIFA was ending.

The relationship isn’t necessarily over, said

Chris Suh,

who joined EA as finance chief in March. The company could potentially work with FIFA in connection with future World Cup events, he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

For now, the loosening of ties with FIFA means EA gains freedom to work with brands that were previously off limits due to the governing body’s rules, he said.

“It really does unlock a lot of flexibility for us,” Mr. Suh said.

Also Tuesday, EA reported fiscal fourth-quarter results showing top and bottom-line growth. Revenue climbed roughly 36% from a year ago to $1.83 billion. Net income nearly tripled to $225 million, or 80 cents a share, while net bookings grew around 18% to $1.75 billion.

For the full fiscal year through March, EA said revenue rose 24% to $6.99 billion. Net income fell nearly 6% to $789 million, or 2.76 a share. Net bookings rose 21% to $7.52 billion.

EA said its player network grew 16% to more than 580 million unique active accounts and that the 12th season of its free-to-play shooter game “Apex Legends” set records for the highest engagement since it launched in 2019. A mobile version of the franchise is due out later this month.

“It’s a different game, a complement to the full experience on console,” said Mr. Suh. “We think it will be one of the biggest mobile launches we’ve had.”

Last year EA acquired Glu Mobile Inc. as part of its strategy to grow its mobile-games business. In fiscal 2022, the company generated mobile net bookings of around $1.2 billion, up from around $780 million in fiscal 2021.

For the current fiscal year, EA expects net bookings between $7.9 billion and $8.1 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast $8.03 billion.

The company’s shares fell 0.4% to $111.60 Tuesday.

Separately, shares of

Roblox Corp.

fell 4% in after-hours trading. The company—which operates a free online platform for playing games, socializing and attending concerts virtually—reported sales growth and a loss for the first quarter that were each worse than analysts expected. Before the results, the stock had fallen nearly 78% to $23.19 in 2022.

EA is planning one final soccer game with the FIFA name later this fall. The company says it will include more game modes, features, teams, leagues, players and competitions than any previous edition.

FIFA’s World Cup is scheduled to start in Qatar in November.

EA said the FIFA videogame franchise has sold more than 350 million units since launching in 1993 and has more than 150 million registered players.

Analysts say the franchise’s dominance among videogame players and EA’s existing licenses should cushion any blow from the name change. KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Tyler Parker added that ending the FIFA partnership will likely save EA money in licensing fees, which can be redeployed to market the new name and other uses.

Write to Sarah E. Needleman at [email protected]