He would be taken out of packs, SBCs and FUT Draft
Argentina legend Diego Maradona is set to be permanently removed from FIFA 22.
Maradona – who died last year aged 60 – features in the EA Sports game as an ICON card, but it has been reported that he could soon be removed from the game.
According Infobae per Eurogamer, Sattvica, the company of lawyer Matías Morla, has had a trademark claim recognised by a judge.
The report comes after EA Sports previously reached an agreement with Maradona’s former manager, Stefano Ceci.
Despite the agreement, there was no proof that Ceci had the authority to sign a document of that importance – which could see the former Napoli playmaker removed from the game as a result.
Additionally, Maradona – who still appears in FIFA 21 – would be taken out of packs, SBCs and FUT Draft on both games due to a trademark.
The former striker has three different versions of his Ultimate Team card, which represent different parts of his career.
🔟❌ La Justicia argentina reconoció a Sattvica, empresa del abogado Matías Morla, como titular de la marca de Maradona
🎮⚠️ Así, Electronic Arts deberá retirar la imagen de Diego del FIFA 21, FIFA 22 y en tus todas sus interacciones como Ultimate Team pic.twitter.com/9yLEAh3dG7
— Diario Olé (@DiarioOle) November 6, 2021
The news regarding Maradona comes just weeks after reports began to suggest that FIFA were reportedly wanting to charge EA Sports $1 billion every four years to use their name, with EA therefore believed to be considering renaming the franchise as the publisher’s 10-year licensing deal begins to draw to an end.
FIFA since announced that it had conducted a “comprehensive and strategic assessment” of the gaming situation and decided that there is potential to conduct business dealings with other companies.
During their report, it looked like the quote, “The future of gaming and esports for football stakeholders must involve more than one party controlling and exploiting all rights” is a dig towards EA Sports.
It added: “FIFA is bullish and excited about the future in gaming and esports for football, and it is clear that this needs to be a space that is occupied by more than one party controlling all rights.”
The international governing body also claimed that multiple technology and mobile companies are “actively competing” to work with them.
“Consequently, FIFA is engaging with various industry players, including developers, investors and analysts, to build out a long-term view of the gaming, eSports and interactive entertainment sector,” FIFA said.
“The outcome will ensure that FIFA has a range of suitable parties with specialist capabilities to actively shape the best possible experiences and offerings for fans and consumers.”
The current license is due to expire after next year’s World Cup in Qatar, and reports are suggesting that FIFA is apparently increasing the price.
Therefore, should the pair be unable to agree on updates terms, a rebranding of the FIFA game could potentially be expected.
Related links:
- FIFA 22 is an exercise in fine tweaks, not a major overhaul
- FIFA and EA Sports’ exclusive deal looks to be over
- EA Sports bans FIFA player who racially abused Ian Wright for life
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