Electronic Arts released its first football game sans the FIFA logo, banking that its FC 24 title will keep the momentum going in its best-selling brand and create a bulwark against an industry slowdown.

Nearly three-decade cooperation between EA and FIFA terminated last year, according to reports, due to demands that the video game developer raise its annual payments of $150 million to the world soccer governing body.

As a result, FC 24 lacks the exposure and commercial clout that the FIFA brand did. The game's performance is critical for EA because some experts believe the franchise accounts for a significant portion of the company's sales and $32 billion market value.

“The end of such a high-profile partnership creates an uncertain future for the publisher,” says Joost Van Dreunen, a lecturer at NYU's Stern School of Business.

Both players, who fear a weakening of the franchise, and investors, who are concerned about how it would affect EA's capacity to generate income, are keeping a careful eye on the situation.

EA has attempted to increase the popularity of FC 24 by introducing new features such as cross-platform play and HyperMotion V technology, which takes data from real-world footage to program in-game movements.

The ordinary edition of the game costs $69.99 in the United States, while the ultimate edition costs $99.99.

According to reports, the FIFA split should free up more marketing funds for FC 24, which has kept licences to the majority of soccer leagues, teams, and players.

According to sources, EA spent less than 10 percent of its marketing budget before losing the FIFA moniker, and they can easily increase that to 16 percent.