EA shares dropped after the gaming titan lost the rights to Ronaldo's Juventus in FIFA 2020
- Electronic Arts have lost the rights to use the club name "Juventus" in their upcoming FIFA 2020 game after the Italian giants signed an exclusive deal with Pro Evolution Soccer, owned by Konami.
- The news sent EA's shares down 3% on Tuesday, the latest example of Cristiano Ronaldo moving stock prices.
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Electronic Arts just fell foul of the Ronaldo effect. Shares in the maker of virtual-soccer franchise FIFA fell 3.5% this week, wiping more than $750 million from the company's market cap, after it lost the right to use the club name "Juventus" in its upcoming FIFA 2020 game.
EA has earned upwards of 14% of its revenue over the last three years from FIFA, its most popular game franchise. Investors fear gamers will decamp to Konami's rival franchise, Pro Evolution Soccer, to play with Juventus. As Konami now hold the exclusive image rights to Juventus, FIFA 2020 will feature the fictional team of Piemonte Calcio in place of the Turin side.
While Juventus' players will retain their real-life names and appearances in FIFA's next installment, they will be playing under another club name and wearing a different badge, according to EA.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus' star striker, has moved other stock prices this year. For example, his hat trick against Atlético Madrid in March sent Juventus' shares up 17%. Similarly, Juventus' stock doubled when he signed for the Italian side, highlighting the value of the Portuguese captain to the club.