September 29 – Germany’s DFL has renewed its 20-year partnership with EA Sports and its FIFA franchise for another ‘multi-year’ term.
The deal will keep Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 at the heart of the EA Sports platform and keeps the exclusive license rights with the videogame maker. The agreement also covers all clubs and players in the German Supercup.
“Only in FIFA 21 can the Bundesliga’s millions of fans play as all 18 clubs, from last year’s champions to newly promoted teams – stepping out in stadia from Paderborns’ Benteler-Arena, to the Stadion an der Alten Försterei in Berlin or even competing in Der Klassiker in front of SIGNAL IDUNA PARK’s yellow wall,” said Nick Wlodyka, Vice President and GM of EA SPORTS FIFA.
In a statement the DFL said that the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) will further develop content options within the game. More than 130,000 participants competed in the single-player competition VBL Open which the DFL said is the most popular FIFA esports competition of any professional football league.
The agreement also makes a long term commitment to the growth of the VBL Club Championship and the esports sector. The competition is where Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs compete, peaking with the VBL Playoffs and then the VBL Grand Final.
“In a relationship spanning more than 20 years, we have seen the rise and rise of EA SPORTS FIFA, to it becoming one of the most recognizable brands in the world,” said Robert Klein, CEO of Bundesliga International, a subsidiary of DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga. “Through EA SPORTS FIFA, fans across the globe are connected to the Bundesliga, its world class players and unique clubs. We look forward to working with EA on multiple projects, this season and into the future.”
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