FIFA 21's loot boxes advertisements in kids' magazine

After the release of FIFA 21, Electronic Arts has featured an ad for its FIFA Ultimate Team mode in a kids magazine.

The magazine, sold in the UK by Ireland-based toy store Smyths, has a page on the Ultimate Team mode for the then-upcoming football game FIFA 21. The page is all about the game but the steps mentioned for the mode are what has caught the attention of parents in the UK and other parts of the world. The second step mentions the use of FIFA Points, which can only be obtained by spending real money to open packs.

FIFA Points have been in the game for years but parents are not happy that something like this is being advertised in a toy magazine. People on social media are so upset about the advertisement that they have called for a boycott on the upcoming game.

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EA has been forced by public opinion to remove the controversial FIFA 21 ad from a kid's magazine. It was removed since it incentivizes a young audience to fall in a loop of spending money on a lottery system that hopefully could reward the kid with a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe. The ad was shared by the Twitter account FIFA 21 Mistakes, the backlash was immediate, and EA was in the need to remove the ad.

In the UK, The House of Lords Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry stated that according to academic research, it has been proved a connection between, the polemic micro-transaction model often referred to as loot boxes, and gambling.

“It is illegal for any child under 16 years old to take part in any form of commercial gambling”, says the Committee.

The European Parlament has taken a lead role in defining and try to regulate games that feature the controversial monetization practice in their games, for that reason, the practice has been scrutinized and, as expected, has been defined as a way of gambling. The study found that developers are implementing mechanics that create an “irresistible urge to play” and a “growing tension” that could only be relieved by playing. EA seems to be reluctant to change the way they monetize FIFA 21, but some progress has been done to warn parents and vulnerable customers that the game features loot-box mechanics, that will make the game pay to win or at least create a strong desire to spend on microtransactions.

The ESRB has a new interactive element called the ‘In-Game Purchases’. It will warn parents and buyers when a game offers the ability to purchase additional items without leaving the game.

Epic Games boss, Tim Sweeney has also openly discussed the business practice, he explains that the current trend of some developers is harming the customers, he directly points at Facebook and mh:freshwebsites:Google. He also raised his voice against pay-to-win games or loot boxes.

The removal of the ad also exposed EA's hypocrisy on the matter; the notorious publisher has held on to the argument that their lootboxes were not gambling and therefore, safe for children. By removing the ad from the children's toy catalogue, they are low-key admitting that their pay-to-win system does in fact, pose a risk to minors.

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