EA renews FIFPRO partnership to keep player likenesses in FIFA

EA has signed a long-term renewal agreement with FIFPRO to ensure it can keep using player likenesses and names in soccer titles like FIFA.

The company said the partnership would allow it to "continue delivering the most authentic football experiences to players," and includes the rights to thousands of player names and likenesses. EA Sports brand VP David Jackson indicated the deal will be critical to the long-term success of its soccer franchises.

"Our players regularly remind us that one of the most important aspects of an EA Sports experience is the deep immersion created through authentic use of the world's greatest leagues, teams and talent -- it's how we continue to uniquely blur the lines between the digital and physical worlds of football,” said Jackson.

"FIFPRO will continue to be an important partner as we build the next generation of EA Sports football experiences for players around the world.”

The news comes a week after EA said it was considering renaming the FIFA franchise after almost three decades. Although it hasn't committed to dropping the 'FIFA' brand just yet, the publisher said it's currently "exploring" the idea and is reviewing its naming rights agreement with FIFA.