FIFA is a franchise from Electronic Arts that is well known globally, if for nothing more than gracing platforms with the likeness of footballing legends and the sport itself. One aspect that has recently been under fire from FIFA 21 is the Ultimate Team mode, where some have argued that the worst of loot boxes and gambling come center stage in a title intended for all ages.
Electronic Arts works to encourage players to purchase card packs that could contain a player to improve gamers’ teams. EA has registered patents where it ensures that players that don’t spend are matched with those that do, potentially leading to losses and encouraging gamers to open their wallets. The franchise is under fire on an international scale, with Electronic Arts receiving fines from the Netherlands for gambling, while being held under intense scrutiny from the United Kingdom’s House of Lords.
Last night, an image went viral, allegedly leaking a black market for FIFA 2021 Ultimate Teams, where an Electronic Arts employee was offering extremely rare cards at high prices. Prices were $2,500 per pack for the Team of the Year, yet this was statistically far cheaper than if the players found the cards legitimately.
Now, the fans of the title are clamoring online under the hashtag “#EAGate” due to both a misunderstanding of the Watergate scandal naming conventions and frustrations with the company. The inability to receive the rarest players has brought about an apparent tipping point for fans. Add onto this that EA Sports is already under heavy fire for standard gambling conventions, and now multiple fans are beginning to question the series as a whole.
This could be the least of Electronic Arts’ worries. EA has consistently cracked down on market transfers and trading in an apparent effort to encourage transactions solely through EA. A staple argument against EA’s gambling allegations is that these cards aren’t available for purchase in any form. This has been supported by EA Help chat stating that there is no ability to add coins or cards to players’ inventories. That argument, bad actor or not, has now been dashed to the wayside by EA Help’s own Twitter account.
Now, the community prepares for the fall. Competitive integrity has been dashed, and EA Sports’ own terminology and statements are now appearing to be suspect to players, as well. From Electronic Arts’ financial statements, microtransactions within titles such as FIFA 21 bring in the company roughly $1 billion a year. If this fiasco manages to undermine whatever defense Electronic Arts has been utilizing, the world of virtual footballing could change rather soon.
FIFA 21 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Electronic Arts, Push Square
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