EA made a “significant offer” to Fifa for an eight-year exclusivity period across all of Fifa’s gaming and esports rights, but the football body was unwilling to lock up all of its gaming and efootball rights with just one publisher, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

Fifa said they would launch new football video games developed by third-party studios and publishers, but added they had granted a new short-term extension to EA Sports to launch a new “Fifa 23” title later this year.

EA had signalled months ago that the relationship was nearing its end. The company’s current contract was set to expire after the Qatar World Cup, with the football body seeking increased revenue and EA pushing to expand the Fifa brand into new areas such as NFTs and highlights of real games.

Fifa were seeking at least double the US$150 million they received annually from EA Sports, their biggest commercial partner, the New York Times reported, adding that there were different expectations of what should be included in a new agreement.

However, both entities have reportedly adjusted to maintain the partnership till the Women’s World Cup next summer.

EA said it planned to launch a rebranded version of the game, “EA Sports FC”, in 2023 that would have more than 300 licensing partners, including the Premier League, La Liga and the Uefa.

The licensing deals will help EA retain most of the world’s famous clubs and stars with their teams and leagues, even though the World Cup and other Fifa-controlled events will no longer be included, the NYT reported.