The X-Post of a Ghanaian video game retailer has caused an uproar in the gaming scene: 2K is said to have secured the license for the next FIFA game. What’s the story?
When an X account increases its reach a hundredfold compared to the usual average with just one post, it must be a real coup. And at first glance, it appears to be the case: Ghanaian video game retailer MohPlay Inc announced last Friday that 2K Games had secured the FIFA license – and was therefore working on FIFA 2K25.
No subjunctive mood, no question marks, but no source either: it is not clear where MohPlay Inc claims to have gotten this information. “The partnership is confirmed”, the seller claims. In addition, FIFA 2K25 is to be released this year – “to coincide with the 2026 World Cup”. There is no official statement from FIFA or 2K on this. However, Gianni Infantino recently commented again on the future of FIFA video games
The source is not a renowned scene insider
It didn’t take long for many gaming media outlets – including larger ones – to jump on the bandwagon and spread the supposed leak. Mostly in the subjunctive mood, which the original X-Post lacks. But often without any classification of what to do with this unsubstantiated claim
MohPlay Inc is not known as a renowned scene insider who has already accurately predicted various developments in the market. Nor does the retail platform maintain a dedicated news division whose employees follow journalistic principles. The X-Account primarily serves as an advertising opportunity to promote new offers in its own store. From time to time, current events from the gaming cosmos are also taken up.
The announcement of a possible partnership between FIFA and 2K Games should therefore be treated with caution. Especially because no sources are mentioned and it is completely unclear where this knowledge is supposed to come from. As things stand, it is merely the claim of a video game seller whose informative network cannot be taken seriously in this respect
2K favorite from the start – but there are doubts
Which doesn’t mean that MohPlay Inc – possible insider insights or not – couldn’t be right. Since the separation of FIFA and EA SPORTS, 2K has been considered the favorite to succeed the Canadians. The company has made a name for itself as a publisher of sports simulations with NBA 2K and WWE 2K, among others. For a game of the scale that would be required to compete with EA SPORTS FC, there are not too many other developers to consider.
Question marks arise on the 2K track in view of the prices for licensing: EA SPORTS is also said to have ended its cooperation with FIFA for monetary reasons, although this is not said to have been the main reason. The world soccer association allegedly wanted to more than double the annual costs for the licensed publisher – to over 300 million US dollars. Can 2K really afford this sum? FIFA could of course have cut back in the meantime
Another possibility would be opened up by the rapidly growing gaming market in Saudi Arabia: The financial resources could be made available with the help of the PIF sovereign wealth fund there. Whether the kingdom would then directly provide a developer from its environment or only be involved in the cooperation would be open. The FIFAe Finals 2023 showed once again that FIFA and Saudi Arabia can also work well together in terms of gaming
Release 2024 fits in with the old FIFA schedule
The release date that MohPlay Inc has announced for 2024 remains. Which is at least in line with FIFA’s plans announced some time ago. Infantino had already announced a “new major FIFA simulation football game for 2024” over a year ago. However, there was no longer any mention of a timeframe in the top official’s latest comments.
If a release is indeed scheduled for this year, the world governing body will presumably have found the appropriate developer long before the final separation with EA SPORTS. Without the programming foundations of the Canadians, it is unlikely that a finished and competitive title would have been created since the end of FIFA 23. And that is precisely FIFA’s ambition – after all, the new game is supposed to be “the best.”
