EA is no stranger to criticism regarding its aggressive approach to microtransactions. The company famously defended in-game purchases inStar Wars: Battlefront 2as promoting “a sense of pride and accomplishment.” This led to anunprecedented backlash against EA fromStar Warsfans, but the issue pervades far more games the company release. For example, purchasing all available DLC forThe Sims 4would cost well over 500 dollars.
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To be fair, microtransactions are a pervasive issue across the video game industry, not just EA. For example,Marvel’s Avengersrecently raised eyebrowsfor its expensive in-game purchases. To be fair, all purchasable content inMarvel’s Avengersis cosmetic, so players will not be at a disadvantage without it. This differs fromFIFA 21’s FUT mode, where the ability to use specific celebrities is locked behind a lootbox system.
For many, the context of the industry does not exonerate EA. Even if players can access FUT mode without microtransactions, the ad implies those purchases are necessary. This means children will think those purchases are necessary. As a new console generation arrives and children buy game consoles for the first time, many hope the industry does not normalize in-app purchases in upcoming games. Soon-to-be-released games marketed to children, likeCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, will not have microtransactions, but it remains to be seen whether this will become standard industry practice.
Of course, some might argue that EA serves as a scapegoat for the industry as a whole. Still, EA is a very powerful and influential company - for instance,EA almost bought Bethesda before Microsoft’s recent acquisition, Many argue that EA has the resources needed to change the gaming industry in massive ways, and normalizing deceptive advertising for children is unacceptable, no matter the context.
FIFA 21releases on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on October 9, with support for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S planned.
