FIFA 23: Will AS Roma be present in this year's game?

With Juventus making a triumphant return to FIFA 23 this year, AS Roma fans might be disappointed to find that their club's exclusivity rights remain with Konami. The historic club, like a few others in the Italian league, will of course be in EA's last FIFA game. Albeit with a different name.

Along with the name Associazione Sportiva Roma, the iconic Stadio Olimpico will also bear the name Stadion Olympik.

Boasting thousands of official and licensed teams, leagues, stadiums and players, FIFA 23 is supposed to be the premier football simulation game. Players can expect to find a large array of football teams to play as, be it from the English Premier League or the burgeoning Indian Super League.

Roma's predicament has been a staple in EA games since 2020. That was when Konami acquired the rights to the club, causing games since FIFA 2021 to not have their original uniform, nor badge. While the roster and their abilities do not get hampered in any way, it does affect the immersion of players looking for an authentic football experience.

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FIFA 23 will still not have AS Roma due to licensing agreement

Fresh from winning the first ever UEFA Europa Conference League title, Jose Mourinho has been praised for putting Roma back on the map. However, the licensing problem and the recent Xbox glitch that leaked the game a month early has many questioning EA and their policies.

It is no secret that they have been having licensing issues for some time now. FIFA 23 is even slated to be the last Electronic Arts football game officially linked to the International Football Association. According to reports, there will be no FIFA 24. The wildly popular series will be revamped into something else entirely.

Their biggest competitor, Konami, with their game eFootball, has been making money moves recently. Their licensing deals include a couple of high-profile teams such as Manchester United, Bayern Munich and until recently Juventus. The Italian powerhouse has made a return to FIFA 23 to much fanfare.

Man U and Bayern fans need not worry as EA still have rights to the Premier League and Bundesliga, allowing them to use their official names, stadiums and crests. However, Konami does retain the rights to a couple of Italian heavy hitters, including the iconic rival teams of AC Milan and Inter Milan. They also acquired Napoli last season, stealing their fate, the same as AS Roma.

This means eFootball has exclusive rights to a number of Serie A teams and FIFA 23 is therefore bereft of using their official names. Fans will immediately realize the slight variations, which sometimes look like glaring faults, in certain teams. For the longest time, Juventus were the butt of all jokes because they were named Piemonte Calcio in the EA FIFA franchise.

Similarly, AS Roma has been Roma FC since 2020, Atalanta took the name Bergamo Calcio, and Lazio was changed to Latium. The absence of their official kits and badges has seriously impacted a lot of fans' perception of the Italian league in FIFA 23.

It is important to note, however, that even without exclusive licensing rights, players are as authentic as possible. Barring the visual anomaly of the generic icon club iconography, fans can expect Roma to play as close to their real-life counterparts as possible.

With new physics mechanics and a whole new game mode, FIFA 23 is gearing up to be quite a beautiful swansong for the world-famous franchise and fans will certainly welcome the new graphical upgrades. The game is set to be released on September 30 with official ratings and previews expected to be revealed within a few weeks.