After a long lawsuit, the court in The Hague again concludes that the packages in FIFA Ultimate Team are illegal, so Electronic Arts has to fix it!
FIFA Ultimate Team has been at the heart of the online portion of the hit soccer game for years. It has also been a goldmine for publisher Electronic Arts for years. The American company unleashed itself several years ago a domino effect on money, lootboxes and gambling in online games. Now they have to be on the blisters after the court in The Hague rules that FIFA Ultimate Team is illegal.
Court rules: FIFA Ultimate Team illegal
In 2017, the game industry almost imploded after Electronic Arts’ malpractice in Star Wars game Battlefront II. The game’s earnings model was found to be so filthy that parents, politicians and even courts got involved in the issue.
The latter is now doing a tough job statement. According to the court in The Hague, the conclusion to the lawsuit is that FIFA Ultimate Team is riddled with illegal gambling activities. In game mode, which I already review in my FIFA 20 already labeled as pay-to-win, is the backbone of FIFA multiplayer.
Players put together a team themselves, where they have to buy their football players. Buy with in-game money, or by purchasing packs with real money. Which players are in those packages is random. In other words, gambling, the court concludes. And of course EA did not want to hear that, given that they have filed the lawsuit against the Gaming Authority.
Plaintiffs offer online a game of chance (loot box) that is included in a game of skill. The Gaming Authority (Ksa) has rightly concluded that the definition of games of chance within the meaning of the Betting and Gaming Act has been met. In view of this qualification and in view of the prohibition on offering online games of chance without a license, the Ksa is authorized to proceed with enforcement.
The Hague court decision
EA has to pay
In short, Electronic Arts would again have done something illegal with FIFA Ultimate Team and its packages. The court also concluded this almost exactly a year ago, but EA has now started a counter-offensive.
However, it doesn’t look good for them. Within 3 weeks, all FIFA games must be adjusted so that they no longer contain a game of chance. In other words, the packages must be removed from FIFA Ultimate Team. If they don’t, the American parent company and FIFA publisher EA Swiss will have to pay a fine of € 250,000 per week with a maximum of € 5 million per company, so € 10 million in total.
The question is whether this is at all a visible dent in the income that Electronic Arts gets from FIFA Ultimate Team. The company will of course appeal. It is not known when that case will take place.
Via: EssentiallyEsports
Also read: Column: How the EA fiasco is having a lasting impact on the gaming industry
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