EA is continuing its relationship with FIFPRO, but the EA Sports press release announcing it lends further credence to the rumors that it's dropping the FIFA name.
The press release, issued earlier today, confirms that EA has renewed its partnership with FIFPRO, the global representative for professional football players. Alongside a number of other partners, FIFPRO helps grant EA access to names and likenesses that have long been a major selling point of the series.
Despite the obvious relevance of the partnership to EA's football series, the press release makes no reference to FIFA. At all. While the sports' governing body isn't inherently related to the partnership with FIFPRO, it's strange that EA would choose not to refer to its best-selling games by name while announcing a move that will affect their future for several years to come.
The announcement comes in the midst of suggestions that EA may be looking to end its naming partnership with FIFA. Last week, the developer confirmed that it was "exploring the idea of renaming our global EA Sports football games. Shortly after that, the company filed a trademark for something called 'EA Sports FC', which some have speculated could be an intended new name for the series. It's very possible that the press release doesn't hint at EA's plans, but in the context of the potential changes, it certainly could prove relevant.
Should FIFA change its name, it would mark one of the biggest changes EA's football series has ever seen, and this announcement certainly adds fuel to an ever-raging fire.
