Electronic Arts is the biggest publisher of sports video games in the world, and the company is looking to expand even further. The publisher confirmed in its latest earnings report that it will add another sports game to its catalogue in the next fiscal year.
In fiscal 2021 (April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2021), EA will "add at least one more sports title to our annual slate," the company said in a release.
Management added in prepared remarks that these new sports games might be developed for upcoming next-generation consoles coming from Sony and Microsoft. "New consoles are always an opportunity to drive more innovation in our EA Sports games, as our fans are eager to begin experiencing a new generation of play," EA said.
There is no indication as to what the new EA Sports titles might be. EA already makes officially licensed FIFA, NFL, NHL, and NBA video games. EA recently canceled NBA Live 20, though the company said it continues to work with the NBA on a next-gen basketball game to be released later.
EA formerly published the Tiger Woods series of PGA Tour golf games, and later made Rory McIlroy PGA Tour in 2015 after EA and Woods parted ways. That game did not resonate very strongly, and EA hasn't released a PGA Tour game since. In 2018, the PGA Tour announced that it granted HB Studios the license to make PGA Tour games, though EA remains involved in some capacity.
Another dormant sports franchise at EA is the UFC series. The latest release was 2018's EA Sports UFC 3. In April this year, UFC commentator Jon Anik let slip that EA Sports UFC 4 was in the works, though this has yet to be confirmed.
Another franchise that could be primed for revival at EA is the NCAA series. EA made college sports games for years before it stopped due to lawsuits and other matters involving former players. Just recently, the NCAA announced that student-athletes can profit off their names and likenesses, which seemingly paves the way for EA's NCAA series to return.
It's also possible that EA has a new sports game in the works that no one is expecting or that it is an arcade-style game or something else completely. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
If I was a betting man, I'd put money down that EA is talking about EA Sports UFC 4 here given it was already hinted at. Another strong candidate is a college sports game, given the recent NCAA changes and EA's statement that it wants to return to making them. What sports game do you want to see EA add to its lineup? Let us know in the comments down below.
It's not just a new sports game that EA is working on to fill out its portfolio. In the earnings report, EA also confirmed that Motive Studios, the team that worked on Battlefront II's story mode and a canceled Star Wars game, is making a new IP.
Battlefield developer DICE has "new projects" in the works, including a next-generation Battlefield game. Additionally, BioWare, Maxis, and Criterion are all working on new games.
