FIFA and Netflix partner for a new soccer game
FIFA has announced a new FIFA soccer simulation game, which will be available exclusively on Netflix Games.
This will be the first FIFA game since the license termination with EA, which culminated with the release of EA Sports FIFA 23 back in 2022. It will be developed and published by Delphi Interactive.
According to the announcement, which was issued yesterday, players will only need "Netflix and your phone" to either play solo or with friends online. The new FIFA, then, will be available "for free" on TV via the Netflix app, with phones used as a controller.
The game is expected to launch in summer 2026 to coincide with the FIFA World Cup. "We want to bring football back to its roots with something everyone can play with just the touch of a button," said Alain Tascan, president of games at Netflix.
"This major collaboration is a key milestone in FIFAs commitment to innovation in the football gaming space, which aspires to reach billions of football fans of all ages everywhere in the world and will be redefining the pure notion of simulation games," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.
Delphi Interactive worked with IO Interactive on 007 First LightAndy Kleinman, president of Delphi Interactive, said the studio's goal is to "make the FIFA game the most fun, approachable, and global football game ever created."
The studio's official site showcases a brief description of the studio and hyperlinks to LinkedIn and an email address. The only project mentioned is 007 First Light, IO Interactive's upcoming game, for which Delphi proclaims itself as "the architects" behind it.
Over at LinkedIn, Casper Alexander Daugaard, CEO of Delphi Interactive, said he dedicated "half decade" of his life "architecting 007's return to gaming with IO Interactive." Then, once "Mr. Bond was in a good place," Daugaard says the studio spent "2.5 years of deep stealth" on this new project with FIFA.
"Careers and relationships are about moments—and this is one of the biggest in my life," he wrote.
Back in October 2024, Delphi spoke with Variety about the studio's ambitions, including the reveal of the hire of Mikkel Weider, former Nordisk Games CEO, as Delphi's managing partner in Europe. According to the outlet, the team includes "seasonal talent with experience at EA, Rockstar Games, and Microsoft Gaming's roster of publishers."
"In the era of digital game distribution, we believe that if you have access to a beloved global intellectual property, and you have access to capital to develop and market games, and you have access to the best independent development talent, you can actually make a successful AAA game outside of what we now lovingly refer to as the 'publisher industrial complex' that has sort of traditionally oligopolized the AAA space," Daugaard told Variety at the time.
