'EA Sports FC' Trademark Filed Before Announcement of 'FIFA' Series Name Change

Electronic Arts (EA) filed trademarks in the United Kingdom for "EA Sports FC" before the company's announcement that it is considering a name change for its "FIFA" video game series.

There are two trademark filings in the United Kingdom for "EA Sports FC." One trademark filing is dated Oct. 1, and the other is dated Oct. 4.

EA publicly announced on Oct. 7 that it was considering renaming the football video game franchise.

"EA Sports FC" Trademark Filings Discovered

"EA Sports FC" trademark filings in the UK have been discovered days after the company publicly announced that it just might rename its "FIFA" series of football video games.

According to a report by GameSpot, "Some believe EA Sports FC could be among the titles that EA is considering, should it not come to an agreement with FIFA for the inevitable 'FIFA 23.'"

A first software trademark application was filed by EA with the Intellectual Property Office of the UK on Oct. 1, per a report by Video Games Chronicle. A second application for "EA Sports FC" was subsequently filed with the European Union Property Office on Oct. 4.

These two applications came even before EA made the public announcement regarding the uncertain future of the name of the beloved football video game series.

The GameSpot report notes that similar trademark filings do not appear in the Patent & Trademark Office database of the United States as of press time.

The report points out that there are people who believe that the trademark filings are a move of EA to show FIFA that they are serious about the potential name change.

Possible Name Change for 'FIFA' Series

It was announced on Oct. 7 that EA is considering a name change for its "FIFA" video game franchise. Should the name change actually happen, the recently-released "FIFA 22" will be the last game in the series to bear FIFA in its name.

According to EA Sports GM Cam Weber, as quoted in the GameSpot report, the company is "reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA, which is separate from all our other official partnerships and licenses across the football world."

EA has said that it doesn't need the FIFA name for its football video game franchise. This is because "it already has separate licensing deals with over 300 different groups beyond FIFA that give the company access to more than 17,000 athletes on 700+ teams in 100 stadiums and covering 30 leagues around the world," according to GameSpot.

The 'FIFA' Video Game Series

"FIFA" is a football video game series whose titles are released annually by EA Sports. The first game in the series, "FIFA International Soccer," was released in December 1993 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console.

There are a total of 29 titles in the franchise. The latest title in the video game series, "FIFA 22," was released last October 1. The game is playable on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Stadia.

Also Read: Twitch Bans Top 'FIFA' Streamer for Watching Tokyo Olympic Games Highlights on His Stream

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Written by Isabella James