EA Sports has shocked fans by confirming that it’s the end of the road for one of its most popular video games.
It’s official – FIFA 23 will be the last ever instalment in the current FIFA franchise.
After nearly 30 years of manufacturing and evolving the game to what we know it to be today, the e-sports company is to end its licensing agreement with the international governing body for football following a recent review, and has confirmed this week that it would be releasing one more game with FIFA as its current naming rights partner
EA Sports will however still retain its league, player, and stadium naming rights – which are separate from the agreement with FIFA.
The upcoming, and now-final edition of the game produced by EA Sports in its current form, FIFA 23 – which is rumoured to be released this September – will feature the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup competitions in one edition for the first time.
The company added that FIFA 23 would be its “most expansive game ever”.
Fans can expect more features, game modes, World Cup content, clubs, leagues, competitions, and players “than any FIFA title before”.
While it may be the end of the decades-long partnership between EA Sports and FIFA, the e-sports company has now announced its new franchise, EA SPORTS FC – a new “independent platform” that, according to a statement released, is set to offer an opportunity to “innovate, create and evolve”.
EA Sports explained: “After nearly 30 years of creating genre-defining interactive football experiences, we will soon begin an exciting new era.
“Next year, EA SPORTS FC will become the future of football from EA SPORTS.”
FIFA 23 will be the last ever instalment in the current FIFA franchise / Credit: EA Sports
The company was quick to reassure football fans and gamers that: “Everything you love about our games will be part of EA SPORTS FC – the same great experiences, modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes will be there.
“Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA Football will all be there.”
EA SPORTS FC is due to launch in summer 2023.
Featured Image – EA Sports
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Matty Young returns to Salford City FC for a second season following successful loan spell
Danny Jones
Promising goalkeeper Matty Young has returned to Salford City FC for 2025/26 for a second loan stint following a successful first year last season.
The Sunderland academy product spent the previous campaign on loan at the Peninsula Stadium, enjoying a prolific spell over the festive period, keeping half a dozen consecutive clean sheets between December at the start of January.
Still just 18 years old and impressing plenty up and down the EFL, there was plenty of interest in the boyhood Black Cat (who’s been with the club since he was seven), but with the Tyneside outfit now back in the Premier League and having recently signed two new keepers themselves, minutes looked unlikely.
With that in mind, Salford City have dipped back into the loans market this summer transfer window to secure Matty Young for another 12 months.
Announcing the re-signing on Thursday, 24 July, Salford revealed Young in a series of social media posts, including a highlight reel from his standout showcase last term.
He went on to register a total of eight shutouts in 20 league appearances, as well as another in their second-round FA Cup tie against Cheltenham, which they went on to win 2-0.
The England youngster has already represented the Three Lions at under-18, U19 and U21s level, with both Manchester City and Man United having reportedly been monitoring the growing prospect.
Speaking via the club website, he said: I think knowing what I am capable of and my ability on the pitch, I think there is more expectation now with what I can go and deliver on a match day. I have set very high expectations [for] myself to go and push on, and to be the best keeper in the league this year.
“I think the lads will be pushing for automatics this year, if not, the play-offs, so that is something that me and the team will be looking forward to, and that is the end goal at the end of the day.
“It has all come round very quickly, it feels like we only played Carlisle the other day; me and the team are very excited about that first game against Crewe [Alexandra]. Ideally, we want to come here and win, and I feel that will be the first stepping stone on this journey that we are hopefully going to have.”
The Ammies take on Crewe in the opening round of this year’s League Two competition, and the ambitious young shot-stopper – pardon the pun – will no doubt be looking to lay down the gauntlet as the outright number one as soon as possible.
The ex-Wrexham AFC number, who has flirted with the first-choice spot plenty before, is technically returning to the team for the second time, too.
Now 38, Howard started his career in Arsenal’s youth set-up, going on to represent 13 different clubs, including Scottish side St Mirren, Bolton Wanderers here in Greater Manchester, Blackpool, Scunthorpe and Carlisle, making at least 30 appearances for all of them.
He spent most of his time at Sheffield United from 2012-2015, playing a total of 80 times for the Blades, before joining Wrexham, where he also reached half a century of games.
It remains to be seen which of the two will push hardest for a spot in the starting XI. Here’s what Salford fans can expect/hope for more of:
Matty Young showed plenty of bright sparks at Salford City in 24/25.
Oasis are clearly doing something very deliberate for the as-yet-unconfirmed Live ’25 reunion album
Danny Jones
We’ve still not emotionally recovered from Oasis’ five homecoming nights in Manchester, and after seeing that the band just released a live recording of ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ from Heaton Park, it’s taken us right back to Friday, 11 July, and we can’t stop thinking about a Live ’25 album.
In fact, while the live record of the reunion world hasn’t been confirmed just yet, we’re becoming increasingly convinced that this is exactly what fans are going to get – and following the second Live ’25 concert capture dropping this week, we’re almost certain we know what they’re doing.
And if so, you can consider the vinyl of the ‘Oasis Live ’25‘ LP already in the basket.
Many of you might have already thought the same thing, but for anyone it hasn’t yet clicked for, let us explain; we got the live taping of ‘Slide Away’ from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to start with, i.e. the first stop on the world tour. Here’s a snippet of how it sounds:
Have we listened to it pretty much non-stop ever since? Yes, but concentrate, that’s not the point we’re getting at; we think Oasis are doing something very specific for their almost inevitable Live ’25 album.
Up next was the aforementioned ‘Cigs and Alcohol’, performed and recorded on home turf right here in 0161, and released in honour of their magnificent Manc comeback.
More accurately, the live version of the song is plucked from their unforgettable opening evening at Heaton Park, as opposed to any of the other five dates.
Can you see where we’re going with this yet?…
With their place of birth having waited more than a decade and a half to hear the first few iconic chords that signal the start of the timeless Oasis classic and a pure rock and roll blowout, you can literally hear the energy from the crowd in your ears.
If you haven’t heard it dozens of times already, take a listen for yourselves and feel free to Poznań wherever you happen to be reading this:
That first Poznań for #OasisManchester hit like a chuffing freight train. 🔥
Upon checking the date of the Cardiff recording of ‘Slide Away’ was taken from, we noticed that they had also chosen the inaugural night of the entire Live ’25 tour, i.e. their very first live show in 16 years.
While we’re aware an official Oasis reunion tour album is technically still TBC, if you see a third live track released after their five shows in the capital get underway this Friday (25 July), you can pretty much bank on the special live release being all but nailed on.
So, not only are we getting an Oasis Live ’25 reunion documentary from the man behind Peaky Blinders, but it looks like they’ll be providing fans with a virtual tour and a chance to experience/relive the gigs aurally, with each of the 23 tracks on the setlist being pulled from a different city on the world tour.
Now, while this isn’t an entirely unheard of idea in the world of live albums, that’s not all.
Better still, if our suspicions are correct and the next drop is taken from night one of Oasis Live ’25 in London (bonus points if you can guess which tune they go for), then the entire thing will capture the sonics and atmosphere at its best: propped up by the utter euphoria of a dream finally being realised.
We’re sure they could pull the audio at any part of the set, from any old date, and it would sound great, but nothing is like the palpable ecstasy you could quite literally hear on the opening nights in Cardiff, Manchester and, no doubt, Wembley. Having said that, the final farewell was pretty biblical too.
Put simply, isolate any night of the world tour and there’ll be something unique in the master.
Die-hards have been waiting what feels like a lifetime to finally see their favourite band in the flesh again; actually, like many of us here in Greater Manchester and indeed all over the world, some were simply too young to experience the Britpop craze and ‘Oasis Mania’ the first time around.
They obviously have a huge following not just in the UK and Ireland, but all over: the US, Japan, across South East Asia and throughout most of South America – you only have to watch clips or even hear Noel Gallagher talk about Buenos Aires to not how ‘mad fer it’ they are over there.
For a lot of fans, this IS their 1990s moment, and even those who sadly didn’t manage to get tickets have a chance to almost feel like they were there.
One thing’s for sure: if/when the Oasis Live ’25 album arrives, that Manchester buzz will take some beating in the unofficial contest to see who loves the legendary British rock band the most.
Emily Sergeant -
11th May 2022 
