FIFA and 2K Games were rumoured to have “almost confirmed” the licensing agreement between them to bring the new FIFA title, but the recent statements of the CEO have confirmed otherwise. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has addressed the ongoing rumours about the company potentially acquiring the FIFA license, clarifying that it’s not as straightforward as it might seem.
Take-Two’s CEO emphasized that the company is pleased with its current portfolio of sports games
Zelnick acknowledged that while Take-Two is active in the soccer gaming space with the popular mobile management game Top Eleven, developing a full-fledged console simulation akin to NBA 2K would be “incredibly difficult.” Nordeus, the developer behind the football management game is a subsidiary of Take-Two since its $378 million acquisition deal in 2021.
He stated: “It’s not as simple as negotiating with the NFL or the NBA or MLB, where at most you often negotiate with the league and a players association. So, for anyone who would want to compete in a straight-ahead SIM environment for soccer, you wouldn’t just have to address one particular brand license.”
He pointed out that the FIFA license alone doesn’t include essential elements like players, teams, or leagues, making it far more complex than other sports simulations where negotiations are typically limited to leagues or player associations. Zelnick emphasized that the company is pleased with its current portfolio of sports games, including NBA 2K, PGA Tour 2K, and WWE 2K.
2K Games was always the worthwhile name to pick up the official license since Electronic Arts and the international football governing body FIFA ended their licensing agreement in 2022, where the American video game company later headed for a rebrand of their popular FIFA series of games to EA Sports FC.
That said, CEO Zelnick didn’t shut the door on the possibility of future developments involving FIFA rumours. He hinted that there might be more to come, leaving fans to wonder what could be next. For now, though, the idea of a FIFA 2K game is still a rumour, with Take-Two more focused on building up and perfecting its current lineup of popular sports titles.
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