Publisher says “spending is entirely optional”
FIFA 23’s Ultimate Team mode will follow previous games by including loot boxes, EA have confirmed. In the past few years, several studies have linked loot boxes with gambling, and several European countries have moved to regulate them. In astatement given to Eurogamer, EA said that Ultimate Team packs are “a part of FIFA that players love” and that “Giving players the choice to spend if they want to is fair.”
“We wholeheartedly believe that Ultimate Team and FUT Packs, which have been part of the game for more than a decade, are a part of FIFA that players love - fans love that the game reflects the real-world excitement and strategy of building and managing a squad. Giving players the choice to spend if they want to is fair,” reads the statement from EA.
“It’s worth saying that spending is entirely optional in our game, and we do not encourage spending over earning rewards through game play. FUT Packs work in just the same way whether they are paid for or earned, and most players don’t spend in game at all. For example, nine out of 10 FUT Packs opened inFIFA 22were earned.”
EA’s statement is technically accurate when it says that FUT packs, the FIFA series' most prominent loot boxes, are “entirely optional”, but there’s no doubt that the game strongly incentivises buying them. They’re the easiest way to get better players or other resource cards, both of which are essential if you want to win or otherwise have fun in online FUT matches. Recent FIFA games have made concessions by allowing players to peek at the contents of FUT packs, with limitations, before they pay.
