The Premier League extends licensing partnership with EA Sports FC

The Premier League has signed a new multi-year partnership extension with EA Sports FC to continue supporting the franchise as a lead partner and official licensee.

The move is a vote of confidence in EA's recently rebranded soccer simulation, which was known as FIFA until the publisher parted ways with its long-time licensing partner of the same name.

"EA Sports has been a lead partner of the Premier League since the 2016/17 season, while the licensing agreement with the League for its popular football video game series goes back to the 1998/99 campaign," reads an announcement on the Premier League website.

The deal will see all 20 Premier League clubs–including every club, player, manager, stadium, and kit–continue to be represented in EA Sports FC. The partnership also includes a long-term commitment for the Premier League and EA Sports to work together on the creation of community programs, including school football initiatives and investment into grassroots facilities.

"Through our long-term partnership, the Premier League and EA Sports have inspired generations of football fans and we look forward to developing this in the years to come," said Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters.

"The new EA Sports FC 24 game is a significant evolution which we are proud to be a part of. Beyond this, we will continue to develop existing projects as well as introducing exciting new ones."

EA confirmed plans to relaunch and rebrand FIFA as EA Sports FC in May 2022, just a few months after company CEO Andrew Wilson reportedly told staff the FIFA brand was actually holding the franchise back.

EA Sports FC 24 is slated to launch on September 29, 2023, and despite the reworked name and logo appears to be carrying forward many of the features and mechanics present in FIFA.