EA and the FC community are in wrangles again!
Just a few months after the Lionel Messi fiasco caused outrage among players, EA is once again under fire, this time over the latest TOTS red pick rewards.
The uproar was so significant that players and some community members called for action. Social media has been in turmoil, with the hashtag #boycottEA trending and players disagreeing on the best course of action.
These are the 5 biggest mistakes EA has made in FC 24! Let me know if I’m forgetting any! #boycottEA #easportsfc #EAFC24 #FIFA pic.twitter.com/vKMQbUNYMi
— Tom and Matt (@tomandmatt1) May 13, 2024
What Happened?
Let’s take a step back and understand the situation. The issue started with the Champions Player Pick rewards, which allowed players to select the highest-rated players from the Ligue 1 Team of the Season (TOTS).
Top-rated players like 97-rated Kylian Mbappé, 96-rated Ousmane Dembélé, and 95-rated Warren Zaire-Emery frequently appeared in the player pick rewards, meaning that EA somehow messed up the pick odds.
By the time EA rectified their error, a portion of players had already picked some of the high-rated cards. This led to disappointment among the rest of players who were not on their consoles within that short span of time, and EA faced a lot of backlash for this unfairness.
How did the Community React?
In response, one of the most popular figures in the community, EA FC content creator and streamer NickRTFM urged everyone to “come together and collectively stop streaming and posting EAFC 24 content.”
I’ve never been a huge believer in protesting video games for improvement. But whatever. Fuck it. if everyone wanted to come together and collectively stop streaming and posting EAFC 24, I would and I mean it. Viewers and creators. I have no problem deleting the game myself until…
— Nick (@NickRTFM) May 11, 2024
Nick suggested that creators and viewers should stop playing the game for the rest of the year until EA addresses the long-standing gameplay issues. A quick look at Reddit reveals gamers complaining about sluggish gameplay, server errors, and various content-related problems. These issues have plagued both FC 24 and the FIFA series for years.
While many in the community supported Nick, his call to action failed to unite other content creators, many of whom depend on EA and their game for income. Nick eventually apologized due to backlash from some community members and creators.
What Should the Community Do?
The EA FC community is justifiably angry, but this is not something new. EA has been testing its fan base’s patience for years with errors, glitches, and controversial decisions in their games, particularly in Ultimate Team. Boycotting by not playing the game or purchasing FC points is unlikely to affect EA’s earnings significantly, since the online community is just a fraction of the player base. So, what can be done?
It’s time for an external force to step in and regulate EA’s operations. Gamers should reach out to their national legislators to establish a regulatory body overseeing EA’s practices. Currently, EA enjoys a considerable amount of freedom because nothing in Ultimate Team is regulated.
One example to follow is Callum Dornan, founder of the British eSports organization Serious About FIFA (SAF), who advocates for measures to protect players from Ultimate Team addiction in the UK and regulate the gambling aspect of the game mode.
Real money is involved in acquiring packs with FC points, and EA should be held accountable for the massive errors and controversies in Ultimate Team. Since its inception in 2009, Ultimate Team has been plagued with scandals like ChemGate, EAGate, hacking of FUT accounts, altering pack odds, the Lionel Messi incident, and now the player pick rewards. This trend suggests that EA will continue to exploit its user base unless there are strict laws to hold them accountable for deceiving their consumers.
Additionally, EA should be reminded that gameplay is what truly matters to players, and not constantly releasing overpriced packs with abysmal odds while ignoring the core issues. The community and the players deserve a better game, better gameplay and servers, and an overall improved gaming experience.
