FIFA 23: Piemonte what? Juventus officially mark return to the iconic franchise

After weeks of speculation, Italian football club Juventus will return to EA Sports starting with FIFA 23 which will be released on September 30.

In a press release, EA announced it has agreed to a multi-year partnership with Juventus that will welcome back the Serie A giants back to EA Sports starting with FIFA 23 and continuing when EA eventually rebrands as EA Sports FC in subsequent editions.

EA Sports made the announcement via a post on Twitter that read:

'Juve is back in #FIFA23 The Bianconeri are officially back in the game as a part of a new partnership between Juventus and EA Sports FIFA. Narrated by Juve legend Claudio Marchisio, this film celebrates a new chapter in the club’s story of a great love.'

Juventus previously had an exclusive relationship with Konami for its Pro Evolution Soccer eFootball series for the past three years.

However, the new deal now means that Juventus’ players, stadium, and jerseys will appear in the next EA soccer game.

Official screenshot Juventus FIFA 23 EA Sports/FIFA 23

But the two brands will also “work across a number of lifestyle and cultural initiatives bringing new opportunities outside of football.”

Juventus was presented as a fully licensed club in all FIFA video games until FIFA 19.

However, the Italian club was presented as an unlicensed club in the last three FIFA video games with a custom badge and kit, but with real-world, authentic players under the name of Piemonte Calcio.

EA announced earlier this year that it would not renew its license with FIFA, choosing instead to go under the name of EA Sports FC.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic with Piemonte Calcio in FIFA 22 (Left) and Vlahovic with Juventus in FIFA 23 YouTube

Despite the name change, Along with Juventus, EA has also secured other teams from Europe’s top leagues who announced they are sticking with EA.

Meanwhile World's football governing body FIFA have long responded to EA's stance, saying it will work with other developers to create authentic football games and carry on the FIFA series with FIFA 23, FIFA 24, and subsequent editions.