FIFA – EXCESSIVE FOCUS ON ULTIMATE TEAM
The early 2010s saw EA beginning to shift its focus on microtransactions, loot boxes, and other methods of ongoing long-term monetization- and FIFA led the charge. FIFA Ultimate Team quickly became a fan-favourite mode, and seeing as it was built on in-game purchases and lootboxes, quickly became a core pillar of the series in EA’s eyes. Since then, Ultimate Team only grown in popularity- but often at the cost of other parts of FIFA. Career Mode, for instance, has been in desperate need of a reinvention for years. It does get improvements every now and then, but most of these feel tone deaf and don’t do much to change the experience on any fundamental level. For millions of FIFA players, Career Mode is a crucial part of the experience, and yet it continues to be ignored, and grows more stale each year.
