EA Insists ‘FIFA’ Loot Boxes Are Not Gambling Despite Crackdown

Electronic Arts is still keeping the loot boxes in its “FIFA” titles and other games even though gambling regulators are clamping down on microtransactions. The developer insists that the feature is not at all a form of gambling.

During EA’s investor call with industry analysts on Tuesday, CEO Andrew Wilson addressed the issue with the loot boxes in the company’s football simulation games and other titles. “We don’t believe that FIFA Ultimate Team or loot boxes are gambling,” Wilson was quoted as saying by IGN. “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 or virtual currency for real money.”

The CEO then confirmed that they are keeping the in-game feature despite the crackdown. “We’re going to continue pushing forward [with FIFA Ultimate Team]. We’re always thinking about our players. We’re always thinking about how to deliver these types of experiences in a transparent, fun, fair, and balanced way for our players — and we’ll continue to work with regulators on that,” Wilson noted.

Wilson also did not forget to address the feature that allows the sale of in-game items through third-party sites. “While we forbid the transfer of items or in-game currency outside [the games], we also actively seek to eliminate that where it’s going on in an illegal environment. And we work with regulators in various jurisdictions to achieve that,” he said.

During the conference, EA confirmed that the Ultimate Team modes are the biggest live-service moneymakers of the company in its games for PC, consoles and mobile. The sale of the card packs that act like loot boxes brings in more money than the “Sims” game or “Battlefield.” The reason why this is so has to do with how card packs with random soccer players improve a player’s team and chances of winning against opponents online, according to VentureBeat.

Wilson insisted that the FIFA Ultimate Team is not at all similar to slot machines and other forms of gambling. He said that most of the regulators they’ve worked with for a long time told them that the feature could not be considered gambling. “They have evaluated and established that programs like FIFA Ultimate Team are not gambling,” he said.

EA has posted a $1.25 billion growth in revenue year-on-year last quarter in despite not releasing new games from its big franchises. The growth is said to be thanks to the microtransactions in its games. This could explain why Wilson and his company are reluctant to remove loot boxes from their games.