Electronic oopsie

Could this be the straw to break EA's back?

So EA have been slowly clawing themselves up in the opinion of some circles. Not through the merit of being pro-consumer in any way shape or form, oh god no, (Hell would have frozen over thrice-fold before that happens) but by staying out of the way and letting their developers make games. Most notably this has been the case the recent two Star Wars games, with 'Jedi: Fallen Order' blowing most everyone away with how few microtransactions it held; (especially considering it's very existence was due to a single player game getting killed off in favour of a potential live service) and now early reviews seems to suggest that 'Star Wars Squadrons' is actually a genuinely solid game with a strong narrative. (That one I do not see coming. Then again, I automatically assume the utmost worst in EA at all times so go figure.) That being said, we can't have a solid few weeks of positive EA coverage, their very nature forces them to self sabotage, and so in the middle of all this potentially good press looms the shadow of a morality discussion that undermines one of the company's most staunch positions. Have I piqued your interest yet?

Well allow me to completely put a pin in that and send the balloon careening because this is yet another story about lootboxes. I know, I know, but don't look at me because I'm harping on the same topics, turn that around on EA for choosing this particular avaricious practice to be the very hill that they die on. I'm being serious, the amount of effort this company has put into justifying and defending a clearly dying system is truly humbling; if they put this into anything actually productive EA might turn around into a half-decent producer. Instead they want to fight legislators, fight fans and fight windmills, anything so that they can keep their silly little gacha mechanics which prints them money for no work. (Someone has to have told these guys that nothing's free in life, but they just will not take that lesson to heart.) So in that vein there has been one particular story that has blown up lately.

You may have been the sort of kid who read through a lot of magazines as a child, perhaps even browsing toy magazines, not to scout out a toy that you want but to merely look at all the toys you wish you could have. (I had a pretty good imagination as a kid, but even I needed reference material every now and then) In such magazines it is not uncommon for toy manufacturers to battle over ad space knowing that it's practically the holy grail of advertising. Of course, that was in the past and today's world is likely steering away from print media altogether, but that still didn't stop EA from worming their way into an ad deal for a page on the Smyths Toys Magazine. Still a decent break for them, and what did they decide to advertise with their space? FIFA Ultimate Team of course! And if you're starting to think "Oh no", you ain't heard nothing yet!

This particular advert was conceived as step-by-step instructions for the impressionable readers in how they can log into the FIFA ecosystem and enjoy their Gacha-centric Ultimate Team mode. Including a point which specifically instructs these children to use the premium currency. "Step 2: use FIFA points to open packs." This would be questionable on a advert aimed at adults, but towards children this it utterly reprehensible. Time and time again we've seen snippets of stories about folk with gambling editions that have been triggered by the unknown elements of lootbox gaming and there's even been select cases of families who've been hit hard financially because of poor credentials management and children logging onto FIFA with no concept of what they're doing or the money that they're spending. Rather than wanting to distance themselves from those sorts of stories, it seems that FIFA wants to actively encourage and support them! (Bold marketing direction, if questionable.)

Obviously this elicited the mother of all slapbacks from the Twitter-sphere, which makes sense as that is a platform built to amplify outrage, and the complaints were enough to get a real response. Well, a response in the way that the ad itself was removed and EA came out with some canned cow-dung to try and force into our ears. "We take very seriously the responsibilities we have when marketing EA games and experiences in channels seen by children" An EA representative lied through their teeth whilst standing on one leg and crossing their fingers behind their back in front of PocketGamer.biz. "In spite of this, we're aware that advertising of FIFA points has appeared in environments it shouldn't have." They speak like their advertisements are some sort of sentient vermin that somehow managed to worm their way into the eye-sight of children, and I suppose in some ways they are. These guys have no genuine excuse for their actions and thus are resorting to the excuse of "it was a mistake", despite the fact that they themselves like to claim that FIFA is entirely accessible for kids, so which is it?

You see, no one would have any problem with the FIFA ads if they threw their hands up and admitted that FIFA isn't a game suitable for kids due to the simulated gambling that Lootboxes should be classified as. (We'd still bemoan the practise, oh absolutely! But no one cares about ads for adults.) The problem is the hypocrisy; why would this spot be an "environment" that FIFA points "Shouldn't have" appeared in if there wasn't some sort of moral issue about advertising these things to kids. At the very least they could admit that not every part of FIFA is suitable for kids and that perhaps the monetisation should be aimed towards adults, but that would jeopardise the all-important 'PEGI 3' rating which lets them onto every shelf in the world. They've dug their feet in on this matter in almost every regard, except for this one issue on which they've repented and I think the reason why is pretty obvious.

All the renewed tension between the gaming world and FIFA, supported by the drudging up of many real-life stories surrounding the dangers of unsupervised and irresponsible Lootbox gaming, could not possibly have come at a worse time. The UK Government has literally just put out a call to evidence surrounding the positives and negatives of Lootboxes in order to determine their ultimate classification as to whether or not they are gambling; and all this chaos bought attention to that, whilst reminding everyone of the bad times they've had with FUT. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this whole Smthys catalogue thing was discovered weeks ago and sat on until this very moment in order to sabotage EA, the timing is so perfect that would complete sense. If everything goes to plan, the government actually listens and EA doesn't pull a fast one and try to rebrand or something; (>cough< Surprise mechanics >cough<) this could be the final nail in the coffin for EA's goodest boy.

And may I just be the first to say; good riddance to bad rubbish. Repeatedly throughout the years EA have been the spearheads behind some of the most heinous practises in the industry (some of which are a lot worse that lootboxes) and it's about time they received a long over-due clip behind the ear and a stern talking to. After having everybody and every game drill into the collective conscious that 'actions have consequence', it's somewhat vindicating to have that finally within grasp after a mountain of pressure and uphill climbing. And am I celebrating before the finish line? You bet I am! Because I'm still worried that EA will find some way to worm out of this like the insects that they are. (PSA: Worms are not insects) Let's just hope that, if all else in the world is merely a lie, then at least Justice is, in fact, blind.