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The FA Premier League has granted a games company exclusive

property rights to team names, player strips and logos for the first

time in the League’s six-year history.

The rights will be used by the UK video games publisher Electronic Arts

(EA) to produce officially-endorsed football games for the next four

years.

The first game, The FA Premier League Football Manager 99, launches in

the autumn. In addition to the real logo and trophy, the game will

feature the division’s team names and nicknames, kits, logos and

stadia.

’Being able to use the real division will allow us to make games that

will provide fans with a realistic Premier League experience,’ said Paul

Jackson, managing director of EA.

The company already dominates the football games market with its FIFA

series, the most successful franchise in the European video games

market, with sales of almost nine million units.

EA says the licence will ensure more authentic games, which will be

marketed differently to its FIFA games. A Premiership action game is due

for release at a later date.

’We had never considered the rights to the Premiership as offering a

commercial opportunity until now,’ said Stephen Pearson, the League’s

commercial director.