EA is once again in the news because of loot boxes, following a leaked document shared by Canadian website CBC through an insider from the development team, who believes the publisher is essentially pushing FIFA players to purchase loot boxes. These are some of the bullet points from the now-public document.
2. The Team is squarely focused on engaging current players through mid-September.
3. Players will be actively messaged + incentivized to convert throughout the Summer.
4. FUT is the cornestore and we are doing everything we can to drive players there.
Since the publication of the leaked document, EA has issued a detailed response through its official blog. The FIFA publisher claimed the original story is a sensationalized report that does not accurately represent the facts.
- We always look for opportunities to introduce more players to modes in our games. Our FIFA players are expecting fresh content that makes the service exciting, so that’s a constant focus for us.
- We do not “push” people to spend in our games. Where we provide that choice, we are very careful not to promote spending over earning in the game, and the majority of FIFA players never spend money on in-game items.
- Summer is a very active time in our FUT community, and we ensure more of our new content and community events in the game are centered there. The new content that we introduce throughout the year includes extensive non-monetized rewards. Decisions to spend are always entirely optional.
- Nothing in the leaked document contradicts this in any way - it shows how we are supporting engagement in our game during the summer period, not spending.
- We take very seriously our responsibility to provide players a safe and fun experience.
- We don’t encourage young players to spend in our games, and we strongly recommend use of family controls to manage the content that children are allowed to access, their ability to spend in games, and how much time they can play.
Two years ago, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said to investors that the publisher would keep pushing loot boxes in FIFA and other games of its own, even though some governments and politicians have tried to stop or limit the issue.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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