After a massive backlash, EA removed real-money progression mechanics from EA Sports College Football and admitted to having “missed the mark”
The American publisher Electronic Arts is notorious among gamers for its aggressive use of microtransactions in its games. Many still recall with a shudder the controversy surrounding the shooterStar Wars Battlefront 2, which initially hid some well-known heroes behind a real-money paywall or hours of grinding and also sold real in-game advantages via loot boxes.
With its new football simulation, EA Sports College Football 27, the publisher has once again taken the cake and drawn a storm of outrage from players and streamers. Following boycott threats from the community, EA backtracked just a few days after the game’s release andremoved microtransactions from two game modes.
Overkill
Specifically, this refers to the two single-player modesRoad to GloryandDynasty.As the publisheron the official Twitter profile of the College Football series, the company stated that it hadgone too far with the introduction of paid progression mechanics in the two single-player modes
. They had intended to offer players more freedom
, but the microtransactions did not provide players with the intended value
. As a result, these purchasable progression mechanics were disabled last weekend.
Criticism had flared up over the level boosters, which were offered in bundles ranging from about $10 to $150. The fact that these allowed players to purchase progress in single-player mode was sharply criticized by players and influencers—especially because EA had not clearly communicated this before launch and it was not included in the preview version of the game. Several streamers and players therefore threatened a boycott. The unanimous community opinion: Microtransactions have no place in single-player mode.
On Reddit and in the comments under the Twitter announcement, the community is celebrating its supposed major victory.One userwrites, for example:I never thought I’d live to see the day when EA listens to its player base.
However, some players are already suspecting that EA Sports College Football 28 will likely follow the same pattern.
In the other game modes of College Football 27, real-money purchases will also remain. It is currently unclear whether players who purchased progression packs for Road to Glory and Dynasty will be financially compensated for their removal. For EA Sports College Football 28, the publisher has committed to communicating such features more clearly and transparently.
However, it’s doubtful that EA has truly learned from this controversy and will rely less on microtransactions in the future. Following its acquisition by an investor consortium led by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, the publisher is currently struggling to pay off a massive mountain of debt and is desperately seeking ways to monetize its games even more aggressively.
EA has already announced a first step in this direction. In the future, third-party advertisements will be displayed directly in games such as The Sims, EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA), and Skate.
