EA Sports and Max Verstappen (World Champion for the 2021 and 2022 seasons) will produce content together.

The Dutch driver of Oracle Red Bull Racing will work with EA Sports to create content using its portfolio (we can’t imagine how silly it will look to have Verstappen opening loot boxes in EA Sports FC 24, Electronic Arts’ first post-FIFA game!). Verstappen will be sponsored by Electronic Arts and will therefore have the EA Sports logo on his chin on his helmet during the 2023 season, which starts in March.

Andrea Hopelain, Senior Vice President of Racing Brands at EA Sports, said: “Max is a tenacious competitor and true champion who shares a deep love of games and play. As he races into Formula 1 history, we are excited to collaborate with him as one of the best athletes in the world to bring more fans together through our EA Sports experiences.” Verstappen added: “Whether playing games with my friends or staying competitive when away from the track, EA Sports has always been a big part of my life. EA Sports is an icon for millions of fans, and I’m proud to represent them for the 2023 season.”

Codemasters (acquired by Electronic Arts) has an agreement until 2025 to produce the F1 game adaptations for Liberty Media, with options for 2026 and 2027 to continue making the annual adaptations, which are usually released mid-season in the summer. By then, we fear that Electronic Arts will force into the series the Ultimate Team gambling that has been forced into FIFA and Madden NFL, for example, for many years. It’s only a matter of time because money is everything to the company, and they don’t care about everything else.

Verstappen is good at games but would be better off with simulators. Even he can be thrown off balance by a less-than-stable game. He did so during the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Source: VGC