Chelsea star Jadon Sancho's tattoos have been blurred out on EA FC 25.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Gamers with an eye for detail have pointed out that EA FC 25, formerly known as FIFA, does not faithfully recreate all of Sancho's tattoos. Most notably, the sleeve on his right arm - featuring beloved animated characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, Spiderman, and Bart Simpson - has been altered.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
While the overall shape and placement of the sleeve remain intact, the iconic characters have been removed from the digital version, and replaced with solid black ink to maintain the visual of a tattoo without infringing on any copyrights. The reason behind this change lies in copyright restrictions. EA Sports, despite their efforts to create realistic depictions of players, does not hold the rights to feature the popular characters that adorn Sancho’s sleeve. As a result, the game developers were left with no choice but to make amendments to the Chelsea winger’s in-game appearance.
DID YOU KNOW?
This isn’t the first time Sancho has been robbed of his tattoos from the video game. In 2019, when the game was still titled FIFA, Sancho voiced his dissatisfaction with the fact that his tattoos were missing. "My tattoo has got to be in the next FIFA game," Sancho remarked at the time, calling for a more accurate portrayal of his body art. He also urged EA to refine his hairstyle, noting that his distinctive fade wasn’t accurately captured in the FIFA 20 edition. Not all of Sancho’s tattoos are lighthearted tributes to cartoon characters and video game stars. One of his most personal and poignant pieces is a tattoo dedicated to his younger brother, who passed away in his youth.
WHAT NEXT FOR SANCHO?
Sancho has made a strong start to his career at Chelsea, showing flashes of the talent that made him one of the most sought-after players in Europe. The winger is expected to start in Chelsea's upcoming Europa Conference League group-stage match against Belgian side Gent on October 3.