FIFA Game Returns After 4 Year Hiatus

Football fans are in for a treat as FIFA announced a return to video games in 2026, following a separation from long-term developer, Electronic Arts (EA).

In a surprising turn, streaming giant Netflix has secured the rights to publish the upcoming game, developed by Delphi Interactive. This marks FIFA’s first foray into gaming since the split, which occurred over licensing costs, prompting EA to rebrand its popular series as EA Sports FC in 2023.

According to Netflix, the game will launch before the 2026 World Cup and will be available to all its subscribers for free. Players can access it through the Netflix app on iOS and Android, with the option of using their phones as controllers on compatible TVs.

EA Sports initially released the FIFA game in 1993, and enjoyed a 30-year run with the franchise before moving on. The FIFA series boasted an estimated 150 million players worldwide, and even after the rebrand, EA Sports FC 24 proved to be a hit, topping UK sales charts in 2023.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his excitement about the partnership. “Our reimagined game truly marks the beginning of a new era of digital football,” Infantino stated. “It will be available for free to Netflix members and is a great historic step for FIFA.”

Delphi Interactive, based in California, is also collaborating with IO Interactive on “007: First Light,” a new installment in the James Bond franchise. Casper Daugaard, the firm’s boss, shared his enthusiasm as a lifelong FIFA fan, “We want to make the game the most fun, approachable, and global football game ever created.”

However, the announcement has been met with mixed reactions. Some fans question whether a mobile-first approach by Netflix is the right direction for the FIFA gaming experience, with one user on X (formerly Twitter) stating simply, “FIFA should never have left EA.”

The industry now waits to see how Netflix and Delphi Interactive will reimagine the iconic football game and whether it can recapture the magic of the original FIFA series.

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