Soccer franchise FIFA 21 has added standalone purchasable cosmetic items, a first for the game as the franchise typically relies on people buying tons of random packs through loot boxes. EA Sports has been widely criticized for its usage of microtransactions, but it may have somehow gotten worse as these new standalone items are also pretty overpriced.
EA has already been under heavy fire after a leaked document revealed it was using FIFA 21 to drive players to buy microtransactions in rather unsavory ways. The whole thing left a bad taste in the mouths of players as it felt like there were a lot of manipulative tactics being used to get players to spend even more money on top of the $60 they paid for the game itself. EA has denied these claims and seemed to imply that the facts were being exaggerated to be sensationalized. Regardless, now there are some pretty overpriced microtransactions out now in FIFA 21.
tons of cash for FIFA 21 players. These standalone items can be bought as a bundle for 700 FIFA points (about $7) or individually. A tifo costs 150 FIFA points ($1.50), the stadium theme costs 200 points ($2), and the kits cost 300 points ($3).
The items can also be purchased with FUT coins, which are earned through gameplay as opposed to microtransactions. The items cost anywhere from 11,500 coins to 25,000 coins but can be bought as a bundle for a whopping 60,000, which is more than the cost of a gold pack of random items. Players are also selling these items on the in-game market for far less than EA's asking price, some are more than half-off. Needless to say, it's a bit messy.
It's possible that EA will add more items like this soon as FIFA 21 is coming to Xbox Game . While a new entry of the franchise is expected to arrive in about 4 months, EA may be offering ways for newcomers to catch up and get kitted out at a cost. Unsuspecting s may bite, not realizing they can get the items for much cheaper from other players or worse, think they're valued fairly by EA.
EA has always been heavily criticized for how it schemes to get money out of players, such as the incredibly controversial online es of the early 2010s which made players pay extra for multiplayer if they bought a game used. Thankfully, those days are gone, and EA has grown a lot since then, but the recent news surrounding FIFA 21 is concerning.
Source: Eurogamer
