According to a source, FIFA 23 will be the series’ final game to include the Japanese J-League, since EA Sports is apparently terminating their agreement to use the licence in their games.
FIFA 23 is set to be released later this year, and FUT fans are excited to see what new additions EA has in store for the last game to bear the FIFA title.
As the publisher secures more and more licences, one of the most exciting aspects of any new FIFA release is seeing which additional teams, players, stadiums, and uniforms will be included.
However, according to a fresh report, Japan’s J-League may be exiting the FIFA 23 roster, much to the dismay of players.
On June 1, Fifawitcher, a reliable FIFA insider, tweeted that the J-League will not appear in FIFA 23, the first time the league had been omitted from the series since FIFA 16.
“J-League and EA SPORTS have ended their cooperation after six years.” “The league will not be featured in FIFA 23,” they stated. A image of all of the league’s main partners was included, with EA Sports missing.
This means that Career Mode players will be unable to join teams or sign stars from Japan’s top flight, where stars such as Andreas Iniesta currently play. The players and kits will be deleted from Ultimate Team as well.
The leaker did, however, reassure fans that the J-League, also known as the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, could return “in the future.”
Konami appears in the first row of the list of partners, leading some players to predict that the J-League may transition to eFootball, formerly known as PES. However, there has been no formal confirmation that this is the case.
While it’s upsetting to see a beloved league leave FIFA 23, EA will no doubt strive to compensate with other new licences and features.
FIFA 23 free-to-play?
There has long been rumours that EA SPORTS is planning to make FIFA 23 the first free game in the series, and it all began with the release of FIFA 22.
As noted in a post by DonkTrading, a lot of popular traders and leakers predicted the potential of the next title going free.
EA has not officially commented on this leak, and because it dates back to July 2021, it is possible that plans have altered.
The rumblings began, of course, when a free-to-play game named UFL was revealed, potentially rivalling the juggernaut series.
