As of last year, EA found itself knee-deep in a loot box controversy where the company’s credibility came under serious criticism. It soared to the point that the Mayor of the Hawaii island appealed to the US government to legislate on the issue.
When EA was questioned by regulators about its controversial monetization model during a recent investor Q&A, the company refused to step down.
When the company was asked whether they would be rethinking about the implementation of loot boxes in FIFA 18’s Ultimate Team Mode, which the users can use to build a team by opening ‘FUT’ player packs that can be purchased with real-world money, they simply nodded sideways.
Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA, has stated that the publisher has been working with several regulators from around the world to ensure that no laws are broken in the process. Andrew said that anything that is purchased in-game cannot be converted to real-life currency in any manner what so ever. And since that is the case, there is no scene of gambling at all.
Andrew strongly believes that his system is transparent so players are not being tricked or coerced into making purchases undesirably.
“Firstly, players always receive a specified number of items in each FUT pack. And secondly, we don’t provide or authorize any way to cash out or sell items in virtual currency for real-world money,” said Wilson.
“While we forbid the transfer of items of in-the-game currency outside, we’re also actively seeking to eliminate that where it’s going on in an illegal environment, and we’re working with regulators in various jurisdictions to achieve that.”
Despite all the fan pressure and the steps taken against them, EA has stated that they would continue with their current model as long as it is transparent, fun, fair and balanced.
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