EA Sports, the publisher of the famed annual football game FIFA 21, is facing a lawsuit over its shady business moves in the Ultimate Team mode.
Three FIFA players: Pranko Lozano, Daniel Williams, and Jason Zajnoc from California, accused EA of using "deceptive practices" to basically encourage players like them to buy in-game currency, FIFA Points, with real-life money.
For the last few years, "loot-boxes," or also called "Player Packs" in FIFA, have become increasingly popular in online games. It's a game of chance and gambling where, despite all the hurdles and hassles to get them, nobody knows what's inside these boxes.
On the other hand, EA believes that the complaint "misrepresents" its business, despite the fact that EA gathered a staggering $1.37 billion for digital transactions in the Ultimate Team mode of FIFA and Madden last year.
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EA Lawsuit Involving FIFA 21: Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment and Adaptive Difficulty
FIFA Ultimate Team is a mode where football fans can build their dream team from scratch by assigning real-life players through the market or the loot boxes.
The suit claimed EA has been using an AI technology called "Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment and Adaptive Difficulty," which makes players experience much worse gameplay then influences them into buying FIFA points.
What it practically does is matchmaking players against a much better-rated opponent in the Rivals mode in FUT. Unbeknownst to them, EA's AI makes their goalkeepers react terribly to the ball, defenders being out of their position, or strikers barely able to shoot.
"This is a self-perpetuating cycle that benefits EA to the detriment of EA Sports gamers, since Difficulty Adjusting Mechanisms make gamers believe their teams are less skilled than they actually are, leading them to purchase additional Player Packs in hopes of receiving better players and being more competitive," the lawsuit reads.
EA Lawsuit Overtime: Not the First Time, Actually
EA Sports is home to FIFA, Madden NFL, NHL, and UFC series, and their "scripting" practice has been going on for years. In fact, this is not the first time EA is being thrown under the bus for its unethical business move.
Right after the release of FIFA 21, EA printed a controversial promo on a toy magazine in the UK to advertise microtransaction in FIFA Ultimate Team for children. EA quickly pulled the ads from all the printed media and told Eurogamer that they have been undertaking "an immidiate review for all future media placements."
AC Milan veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Real Madrid loanee at Tottenham Hotspurs Gareth Bale have also voiced their dissatisfaction over EA and how it monetizes their face likeness in the game.
FIFA 21 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.
