FIFA 2K25: everything we know about the EA FC rival

A new FIFA football game may be coming soon. Recent rumours have suggested that FIFA, the global football organisation, has signed a deal with Take-Two to develop FIFA 2K25 for console.

It’s a potentially exciting development, and one that could put a dent into EA’s dominance over virtual football. While details are pretty low on the ground on what a FIFA and Take-Two partnership will look like, here’s what we know so far (with a few educated guesses thrown in there for good measure).

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EA vs FIFA: what happened?

For those not in the know, EA and FIFA once had a longstanding relationship. EA had been pumping out FIFA titles since 1993, and that relationship didn’t look like ending. However, with FIFA 23, it did. Like the most popular member of a boyband, EA went solo with EA FC 24. And they’ve been successful doing it. Sales for the game have risen by 25% in spite of the name change. Sure, gamers are still fatigued with the constant loot boxing and EA’s general pay to play model, but the company is happy at least.

With the EA and FIFA partnership now severed, we expected FIFA to release a game of its own. Much like EA, FIFA aren’t ones to shy away from a money grabbing opportunity. Until now though, how a FIFA game will look and play was something of a mystery. But that might have changed.

FIFA 25: who will be making it?

It’s been recently rumoured that Take-Two will be taking the helm of the official FIFA branded football game going forward. Take-Two are the publishers behind global smash hit games such as NBA 2K24, WWE 2K24 and the recently released TopSpin 2K24. On paper, the partnership is a promising one. Take-Two are arguably EA Sports’ biggest rivals, and are two of the biggest gaming companies out there.

FIFA 25: what can we expect?

We’re not quite sure right now, but we can make some educated guesses. Take-Two are known for creating games that feature high-quality graphics, true to life gameplay and incredibly detailed and immersive career modes.

Take-Two are also the official publishers for the NBA, WWE and PGA Tour, and it’s safe to say that the company will be looking to broker similar deals with the biggest football leagues from across the globe. That might be tricky, though. EA has exclusive deals with UEFA, England’s Premier League and Spain’s La Liga, and has license agreements with the Bundesliga, Spain’s Liga F and Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga.

But both FIFA and Take-Two won’t be happy accepting the licensing scraps. Leagues like the Bundesliga currently don’t have exclusivity with EA, while a number of teams in Italy’s Serie A hold licensing agreements elsewhere. That means teams like AC Milan and AS Roma appear under a different name and badge on EA FC, and a similar name change could be expected for some teams in FIFA 2K25. Whether we’ll be playing with teams such as Manchester Blues, Madrid Whites or North London Reds is yet to be confirmed, but if that’s the case it will certainly take some of the realism away from a future FIFA title.

We can also expect the next FIFA game to heavily lean on FIFA’s flagship event, the World Cup. This could take the form of a detailed World Cup career mode, or a more broader partnership with the World Cup that includes unique players, game modes and more.