After three years of having an exclusive deal with Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer, Juventus returns to EA. Starting with FIFA 23, gamers will finally be able to play the top European team from Italy again.
Not only the team name, but also the stadium and shirts of Juventus are making a comeback. It doesn’t stop there though, as the two are also joining forces for various initiatives.
Juventus returns in FIFA 23
Electronic Arts, the developer of FIFA 23, announces the comeback itself through a press release. In it, it can be read that it has signed a multi-year deal with Juventus. So the Italian team can be found not only in FIFA 23, but also in the games thereafter.
For the past three years, Juventus players were still featured in the game, but all played at the imaginary Piedmont Calcio. Starting with FIFA 23, that name will disappear and the players will return in their own jersey and also the stadium. In addition to the collaboration in the game, EA and Juventus will also work together for cultural and lifestyle-oriented initiatives. What exactly that entails developer EA is not yet disclosing.
Why Piedmont Calcio?
Piedmont Calcio has been the alternative name of Juventus for the past three years in FIFA. Piedmont is the region in which the Italian club is based. Calcio is Italian for soccer. Piedmont Soccer, in other words.
FIFA 23 will be available from September 30, 2022. The game will appear on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia.
The last game with the iconic name
FIFA 23 will go down in the history books as the last game to bear the iconic name. Earlier this year, Electronic Arts announced that it will not renew its license with soccer organization FIFA. So starting next year, for the first time in almost 30 years, no new game will appear with that name. The 2023 game will bear the name EA Sports FC.
It will take some getting used to, but the popularity of the game will not suffer. Several top European teams have already let it be known that they are extending their deal with EA, and Juventus is also sticking around for the next few years. So far, no man overboard, then.
