The Road to Lootboxes: EA’s Strategy Document Leaks to ‘Guide’ FIFA Players to Ultimate Team
A document from Electronic Arts has leaked to the Web, which talks about the publisher’s desire to push the players of the football simulator FIFA to the Ultimate Team mode, which brings the developer the main revenue.
The document ended up in the hands of CBC News. Journalists speculate that Electronic Arts was thus pushing FIFA players to spend on loot boxes. On a page of the document titled “Five Things You Need to Know,” the third paragraph emphasizes that players will be “encouraged to convert” over the summer, and the fourth paragraph says that “FUT is the cornerstone and we are doing everything that in our power to drive the players there. “
On another page, titled “The Heat Up,” the company says “All Roads Lead to FUT” and lays out a strategy to “spark the excitement and steer players into FUT from other modes
The insider said that he presented this document to the press in light of research into the connection between loot boxes and gambling, litigation in various markets regarding the regulation of loot boxes as gambling, and numerous lawsuits over the practice.
CBC News also noted that internal publisher posts refer to the in-game currency in FIFA as “grind currency.” However, Electronic Arts have clarified that the wording “is not the term we usually use. “
Electronic Arts responded to the leak, noting that the documents are being viewed without context. CBC News said: “An EA spokesman declined the interview request and did not comment on the document, which he noted was ‘marked privileged and confidential.’ He also said that the document is “viewed without context” and that interpretations of what it says are “misinformation.” He did not answer the request for clarification. “
The publisher also posted a statement on the official website: “We do not force people to spend money on our games. Where we provide this choice, we are cautious not to encourage spending above in-game earnings, and most FIFA players never spend money on in-game items. ”.”
