FIFA 23 servers are shutting down on October 30, marking the end of an era for publisher and developer EA. All the way back in 1993, EA released the very first FIFA game, FIFA International Soccer, for the Sega Genesis. FIFA International Soccer was a hit and kicked off a new annual release franchise for EA, with new FIFA games released every year from the original in 1993 all the way to FIFA 23 in 2022.
In 2022, EA and FIFA ended their partnership, in turn meaning that the gaming publisher could no longer release games with the FIFA branding. Because of this, FIFA 24 never came into being, and instead, EA pivoted to a rebranded take on its soccer series. EA Sports FC 24 launched in 2023 and has been followed up by EA Sports FC 25 and EA Sports FC 26.
When is FIFA 23 Shutting Down?
- October 30
Even though EA lost the rights to use the FIFA name, FIFA 23 has lived on thanks to its online servers. FIFA 23 players have been able to enjoy the game’s online multiplayer functionality for the last three years, but that time is coming to an end. EA is officially shutting down the FIFA 23 servers on October 30, at which point all the game’s online features will no longer be available. This effectively means that the last FIFA game from EA will be dead, marking the end of an era that started all the way back in 1993 on the Sega Genesis.
It’s sad that FIFA 23 servers are shutting down, but at least there are newer EA-published soccer games for fans to check out, even if they lack the FIFA branding. The EA soccer games are consistently some of the best-selling games year-in and year-out, so fans shouldn’t expect the series to be going anywhere any time soon.
There is some legitimate concern about EA’s future now that it’s been announced that the company is going private, but EA Sports FC‘s popularity should ensure that it remains a fixture of the company moving forward, even after the acquisition is complete. For now, the focus is on EA Sports FC 26, which will continue to receive important updates until its successor is released next year.