EA Removes the Ability to Buy FIFA Points in Belgium

EA makes a lot of money, and while I don’t know the exact statistics, I know that a whole lot of it comes from their sports games and the… uh… “unique” way they’re monetized. Fans of sports games tend to live in a separate “sphere” as the rest of the gaming world, which is why while we raised our fists and demanded an end to loot boxes, and sometimes would get it, sports gamers tend to lack that sort of cultural unity on account of the fact a lot more casual players are popping in those games. So while EA might be willing to drop the loot boxes in a game like Star Wars Battlefront 2, it has proven to violently resist such measures in FIFA, where EA opted to open a lawsuit over the loot box ban rather than comply with regulations.

That said, ol’ EA gave ground recently because in Belgium they’ve just removed the ability for Ultimate Team players (the game mode with the randomized loot boxes) to purchase FIFA points with real-world money.
 

“While we are taking this action, we do not agree with Belgian authorities’ interpretation of the law, and we will continue to seek more clarity on the matter as we go forward. The impact of this change to FIFA Ultimate Team in Belgium is not material to our financial performance."

 
First of all, BS, if it wasn’t “material” to your financial performance you wouldn’t be going through a lengthy lawsuit to defend it. Second of all, this will probably lead to a much worse game, as no doubt the current system was designed to be grindy to encourage people to spend money on packs. So now people are going to be “stuck”, such as it was, with very few options, and I very much doubt EA will be rebalancing the game to make things better for them.

They seem way too spiteful for that.