While rumors continue to circulate about EA FC 27 and its potential open-world mode, another football game is quietly gaining momentum. The FIFA brand is preparing for a major comeback in the near future, and fans of the series have good reason to be optimistic. Three years ago, the long-running franchise developed by EA Sports underwent a major shift, severing its ties with FIFA to become EA Sports FC. Despite this change, Electronic Arts has remained the dominant force in the football game market, even as competitors like Konami’s eFootball and the free-to-play UFL have tried to gain ground. That balance could change in the coming months, as a brand-new official FIFA game is currently in development at Netflix.
Can the new FIFA game compete with EA FC 27?
One of the biggest pieces of news for football game fans at the end of 2025 was the announcement of an officially licensed FIFA title from Netflix Games. Development is being led by Delphi Interactive, a studio tasked with “reimagining the franchise” now that it is no longer tied to Electronic Arts. Even more promising, the project’s technical direction has been entrusted to Julien Merceron.
On February 2, it was revealed that Merceron had been recruited by Delphi Interactive and Refactor Games for this new FIFA project. The news was warmly welcomed by fans, as the French developer has an impressive résumé. He previously worked at Ubisoft, later joined Eidos Interactive, and contributed to the development of the Luminous Engine in Japan. Most notably, he played a key role at Konami as one of the architects of the Fox Engine.
The Fox Engine powered several recent Metal Gear Solid titles and was also used for eFootball. Merceron’s expertise could therefore prove crucial for this upcoming FIFA game, which is currently scheduled to launch alongside the 2026 World Cup. The title is also expected to be playable on TVs via Netflix, with smartphones potentially serving as controllers for subscribers.
Source: Netflix
