Vocabulary

1. franchise - a series of related books, movies, etc.

2. installment - one of several parts of something published, presented, etc. separately one after the other

3. association - a group of people or organizations with similar interests or goals

4. license - to officially give permission for someone to do, use, or share something

5. rebrand - to change the image, name, etc. that a company presents to the public

ARTICLE:

The September 30 release of FIFA 23 marks the final installment of the popular soccer game, as Electronic Arts (EA) and FIFA end their 30-year partnership. The game producer and international soccer association have been creating FIFA games since 1993.

EA's FIFA games — which let players create their own soccer teams, compete in championships as their favorite players and play online matches — are the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world.

By early 2021, Forbes reported that a total of about 325 million FIFA games had been sold.

Although it is not clear what caused the end of the franchise, The New York Times reported in 2021 that FIFA was raising its licensing fee from $150 million a year to $250 million — a huge increase in the cost of the contract between the companies.

EA has announced that it will continue to produce soccer games, but will rebrand them as EA Sports FC from 2023.

According to the gaming company, the new games will still have everything fans loved about FIFA, and will include partnerships with England's Premier League, Spain's La Liga, Germany's Bundesliga, America's Major League Soccer and more.

While FIFA 23 will be the last FIFA-branded game from EA, future games may be created with the FIFA name through new partnerships with other companies, the soccer association said.

EA described FIFA 23 is its "best ever," with more features than any previous FIFA game.

FIFA 23 includes women's club teams for the first time, but only from England and France.