With a new model when buying the FUT packs in FIFA 21, EA could succeed in evading the lootbox discussion.
Loot boxes are a controversial topic where the names Electronic Arts and FIFA are only too happy to fall. But EA is currently trying out a method in FIFA 21 that could remove the often criticized FIFA Ultimate Team mode from this discussion in the future.
So far it was the case that the contents of packs bought in the shop were not visible in advance. But that’s different at the moment. As part of the current campaign “Festival of FUTball” namely, gives you a preview of what you can get. It works like this: You open one of the digital packs for free and see its contents – as usual, these can only be players or a mixture of kickers and consumables.
You then have a certain period of time to decide whether you want to buy this pack with dollars or earned coins or whether you want to do without it. If you decide against the pack, you have to wait until a timer expires before you can preview a new one of the same type. The preview should be possible until the end of the “Festival of FUTball”.
As the FIFA 21 cycle is drawing to a close, EA should try the system with a view to FIFA 22. The new transparency could in fact clearly invalidate the recurring allegations of gambling by various institutions and thus secure the future of the most popular FIFA mode. To what extent the new model will affect revenue from pack purchases is another question …
FIFA 21 is now also available as a next-gen version for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S. This has some new features in its luggage.
