Over the course of last week, the #FixFIFA campaign gained quite a bit of momentum online. Seeing the results of consumer backlash in case of Star Wars Battlefront II, FIFA 18 fans urged players to boycott in-game purchases, especially over the prime Black Friday weekend, until EA addresses their concerns.
Polygon and Games Industry report that players are upset about the game’s glitches, gameplay cheats, and balancing issues. Additionally, FIFA 18‘s microtransactions have come under scrutiny as players argue that Ultimate Team now requires them to “spend money to save time.”
“The balance has shifted from a good game with microtransactions to one where you kind of need to spend money to save time, unless you’re super lucky or one of the greatest players,” YouTuber Goran Popovic told Polygon.
This campaign is probably the last thing EA wants to see right now. A recent report by SuperData reveals that FIFA has had “significantly less pushback” on microtransactions compared to other games. As a result, EA grew its FIFA Ultimate Team and additional content revenue by double-digit percentages.
SuperData’s research also shows that players continue to spend more on additional in-game purchases and the trend shows no sign of slowing down. However, it also highlighted cases of games where monetization strategies backfired, resulting in little additional revenue. You can find the full report on SuperData’s website.
[Source: Polygon, Games Industry]
