FIFA Ultimate Team It has been one of the greatest successes of Electronic Arts in its entire history. This game mode allows players to create the soccer team of their dreams. And on paper, FUT is great, but their selling methods are pretty questionable. Now, a year after recognizing that this game mode is a very important part of its business, Electronic Arts seems to have skipped FUT match at their report to the SEC, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
FUT, a dangerous game for the most vulnerable
El FIFA Ultimate Team is a fifa mode almost as controversial as it is popular. The players of FIFA Ultimate Team they buy envelopes of virtual cards in which players from various teams will receive randomly. There are several cards for each player, and, just as it happened when we collected soccer cards, some cards are more difficult to get than others.
In the gaming world, FUT's business model is known as 'loot boxes' or 'loot boxes'. Basically, the user pays an amount for a number of 'virtual packs' and will receive a product with a random value in return. Most of the time, players will receive very poor, almost useless cards, but the system is set up in such a way that it is very easy for users to get hooked on this system.
Accusations of promoting gambling change the strategy of Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts has been accused many times of promoting gambling to minors. In fact, FIFA Ultimate Team It has already been banned in several countries incite gambling. The simile that we have made above with collectible trading cards is not by chance; Every time EA is accused of its unethical practices, its managers defend themselves by saying that the game is like the LaLiga collectibles of a lifetime. And no, it's not true, because Ultimate Team, like many other 'gachas', works like a slot machine.
The FIFA Ultimate Team revenue they have grown year by year since it was introduced. In 2017, EA began to publish its results reports separated by games, and both industry experts and shareholders themselves were able to see the true weight that this FIFA game mode had within Electronic Arts accounts. Since then, FUT has generated the following net income:
- 2017: 775 million dollars
- 2018: 1.180 million dollars
- 2019: 1.370 million dollars
- 2020: 1.490 million dollars
- 2021: 1.620 million dollars
In 2021, FIFA Ultimate Team provided the 29% of Electronic Arts revenue. However, problems are piling up for the Redwood City studio. Their game is a success, but more and more international organizations are asking them to explain the dubious morality of their business model, which is evidenced by this increase in income.
In the report just filed by EA with the SEC, the study has returned to its roots, and no longer separates FUT match, so it will not be so easy to know how much they earn with this controversial game mode. Obviously, they are not doing anything illegal, but the maneuver is quite amazing. In the report that they have presented to the SEC, it can be seen that EA has had to pay a fine of 10 million euros in the Netherlands, after being accused of violating the gambling laws of that country, and everything indicates that it will not be the last time. that they have to face a court on this issue.