REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & MADRID--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) and LaLiga announced a long-term partnership that will continue to offer unrivaled authenticity to EA SPORTS™ FIFA players for the next 10 years. Under the partnership renewal, EA SPORTS will remain the exclusive Official Video Games Partner of LaLiga while the two organizations will expand their efforts to create world-leading football entertainment. This includes a joint commitment to grow fandom and esports participation through LaLiga’s official esports competition, eLaLiga Santander.
The new agreement comes as the world is playing and watching more EA SPORTS FIFA than ever before as football fandom continues to grow. EA SPORTS FIFA 20 for console and PC is the most-played game in franchise history. Unique players have increased 10 percent year-over-year and daily active players reached an all-time engagement high. Fans are watching record volumes of EA SPORTS FIFA content as more than 12 billion minutes have been viewed on Twitch since launch--the equivalent of more than 133 million traditional football matches. The 260 percent year-over-year growth* in EA SPORTS FIFA content viewership was also fueled by the recent global EA SPORTS FIFA Stay and Play Cup that aired to millions in more than 100 countries.
“Our vision is to grow the love of sport through our games and services, and with strategic partnerships with iconic organizations like LaLiga, we're uniquely positioned to deliver unrivaled authenticity and innovation in the years to come,” said Cam Weber, Executive Vice President & Group GM, EA SPORTS. “Our joint commitment will enable both immediate impacts for the next EA SPORTS FIFA experience, and long-term opportunities to continue to strengthen LaLiga fan engagement over the next decade.”
“This renewal enables us to grow the reach and popularity of LaLiga to more and more fans around the world that play EA SPORTS FIFA every day,” said Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga. “We have built a collaborative partnership with EA SPORTS for more than 20 years that has seen both organizations become leading international brands. Our new agreement signifies our commitment to maintain this growth and create the best entertainment for football fans worldwide.”
The EA SPORTS FIFA and LaLiga partnership will help deliver the most authentic and comprehensive global football interactive experience in the world. Only in EA SPORTS FIFA can LaLiga’s millions of global fans represent their favorite clubs in interactive entertainment. Both organizations will continue to advance sports innovation, building upon recent successes such as LaLiga’s EA SPORTS Atmospheric Audio for LaLiga match broadcasts.
LaLiga continues to fuel significant player engagement across the EA SPORTS FIFA franchise. LaLiga is one of the most popular leagues selected in online play, has the biggest in-game fanbase across 70 nations worldwide and LaLiga clubs were used in more than one billion matches. FUT fans will continue to engage with unique LaLiga in-season content only found in EA SPORTS FIFA including Team of the Week (TOTW), Player of the Month (POTM) and Team of the Year (TOTY).
Future details on EA SPORTS FIFA and eLaLiga Santander will be announced later. For more information about EA SPORTS, please visit www.easports.com.
*Source data provided by Stream Hatchet comparing May 2019 vs. May 2020 Twitch watch hours.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers.
In fiscal year 2020, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $5.5 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Battlefield™, Apex Legends™, The Sims™, Madden NFL, Need for Speed™, Titanfall™ and Plants vs. Zombies™. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.
EA SPORTS, Battlefield, Apex Legends, The Sims, Need for Speed, Titanfall and Plants vs. Zombies are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Madden, NFL and FIFA are properties of its respective owners and used with permission.
About LaLiga
LaLiga is a global, innovative and socially responsible organization, a leader in the leisure and entertainment sector. It is a private sports association composed of the 20 teams in LaLiga Santander and 22 in LaLiga SmartBank, responsible for the organization of these national professional football competitions. In the 2018/2019 season, LaLiga reached more than 2.7 billion people globally. With headquarters in Madrid (Spain), it is present in 55 countries through 11 offices and 46 delegates. The association carries out its social action through its Foundation and is the world's first professional football league with a league for intellectually challenged footballers: LaLiga Genuine Santander.
