EA Sports has delisted FIFA 23 from online storefronts ahead of the release of FC 24 this week.
X user MauroNL noticed that FIFA 23, which is just a year old, was pulled from the PlayStation Store, the Microsoft Store, the Nintendo eShop, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. EA’s own website is now littered with dead links pointing to pulled listings. However, FIFA 23 is still currently available via a subscription to EA Play.
EA’s annual football game, now called EA FC, no longer sports the FIFA name in its title. All prior entries in the series have been delisted from all major storefronts.
Every FIFA title from 14 up to 23 can’t be purchased anymore. FIFA 22 & 23 can still be played via EA Play. pic.twitter.com/VupU3Off44
— MauroNL (@MauroNL3) September 26, 2023
EA Sports delisted FIFA 23 without warning. A note on the Steam page for FIFA 23 reads: “At the request of the publisher, EA Sports FIFA 23 is unlisted on the Steam store and will not appear in search.” IGN has asked EA for comment.
It is likely the delisting is the result of the expiry of EA’s FIFA licence. Last year, EA announced it was parting ways with FIFA in what was a bitter end to an almost three-decade partnership. This year’s game, EA Sports FC 24, marks a full rebrand for the football franchise free from the shackles of the FIFA licence deal, which reportedly cost EA $150 million a year.
EA Sports often delists its older FIFA games, but the removal of FIFA 23 has raised eyebrows for coming so soon after the launch of the game.
IGN’s FC 24 review returned a 7/10. We said: “It might have a new name, but EA Sports FC 24 is just about the same, frustrating but beautiful game that FIFA’s been for many years.”
Meanwhile, IGN spoke to EA Sports to get the lowdown on the Nintendo Switch version of FC 24, which is finally on par with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
About Post Author
