US advocacy groups call on FTC to investigate FIFA loot boxes
Brendan Sinclair
Managing Editor
Friday 3rd June 2022
Electronic Arts
A coalition of 15 advocacy groups yesterday sent an open letter to the US Federal Trade Commission, asking the regulator to investigate "manipulative design abuses" in the FIFA franchise, specifically the loot box-driven Ultimate Team mode.
Led by Fairplay and Center for Digital Democracy, the groups repeatedly cited the recently released Norwegian Consumer Council report in describing dark patterns they say exploit children's lack of financial literacy and poor understanding of odds.
"By relentlessly marketing pay-to-win loot boxes, EA is exploiting children's desire to compete with their friends, despite the fact that most adults, let alone kids, could not determine their odds of receiving a highly coveted card or what cards cost in real money," Fairplay executive director Josh Golin said.
"The FTC must use its power to investigate these design abuses and determine just how many kids and teens are being fleeced by EA."
The letter raises concerns about a number of EA's practices, like requiring Ultimate Team packs to be purchased with multiple virtual currencies, abstracting their actual cost.
It also takes exception to EA's disclosed odds covering "outcomes that are so broad they are meaningless to game players," a lack of controls to keep young children from the game mode, and the potential for the game to be a gateway to problem gambling.
An EA representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The FTC held a workshop event on loot boxes in 2019, but did not take action on the subject.
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