Forget EA Sports FC, FIFA is back – and from an unlikely source

It's been three years since we last saw a FIFA game, with EA opting to ditch the licence in favour of its own EA Sports FC branding. But hold onto your boots – it's about to return.

After the split, FIFA itself claimed that it would put its name to a new football game series, with a new developer and publisher, and the first release has now been confirmed. But while many expected a major games studio to be involved – such as 2K Games or Konami – the global governing body for the beautiful game has opted to go in a different direction.

FIFA has signed with Netflix, which will distribute the game. And rather than be available on consoles and PC, it will seemingly be exclusive to Android, Apple devices, and Smart TVs via the Netflix app.

Planned for release next summer to coincide with the World Cup 2026 tournament, the new FIFA game is being developed by Delphi Interactive, which is a reasonably unknown studio.

It has worked with IO Interactive on the 007 First Light game, it says, but the new FIFA will be its first major standalone title.

This does ring some alarm bells (as does the mobile only approach), but considering seasoned EA Sports FC players are reportedly leaving that series in droves, it might be the start of something new for players to get their teeth into.

For example, I decided to stop playing EA Sports FC 26 recently after many years of competing in Ultimate Team on a daily basis. After initially being impressed with some of the changes, game mechanics and patterns ended up feeling too familiar.

I'm not sure the new FIFA will be it, but we all deserve a new football game.