The mixing of women and men in EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate Team is one of the most controversial topics regarding the new game. High-ranking employees of the Canadian development company have responded to the criticism and have a clear answer.
With the announcement of mixed teams in the Ultimate Team mode of the new FIFA successor, EA Sports has not only made friends. Some players expressed their annoyance online about the decision, while dissenting voices particularly questioned the realism of the new football simulation.
IGN has now published several statements from leading EA employees regarding the accusations, who commented on the matter in the interview.
EA responds to criticism of women in Ultimate Team
About a week after the announcement trailer and the first gameplay trailer, there is now a response from EA to the criticism from the internet. We have summarized the most important statements for you. You can read the complete article and all statements here on ign.com.
Here you can see the trailer that stirred up some emotions again in full length.
What is the criticism about?
In the FIFA community, for example in the EAFC subreddit under reddit.com, a large discussion broke out shortly after the official confirmation that women and men will stand side by side on the pitch in Ultimate Team. At the center of the discussion was primarily the realism issue in EA Sports FC 24. Many voices from the community saw the same ratings for women and men as an insurmountable problem.
You can find an overview of the heated debate here.
How does EA Sports respond to the criticism?
EA Sports has defended their idea of Welcome to the Club
(via ea.com). According to Executive Producer John Shepherd, it is about welcoming everyone, especially women’s football, into the Club
. Those who are not happy with this in Ultimate Team can play the kickoff mode, which is more about letting real clubs compete against each other, Shepherd said.
Senior Producer Sam Rivera also responded to the criticism with incomprehension. In his view, Ultimate Team has always been a fantasy mode that brings together players who could never have played in the same team. He sums up his opinion with the following statement: “You wouldn’t see how Mbappé plays with all these icons.”
EA’s approach to a partly toxic community
The comments against the introduction of women in Ultimate Team may represent an intensification of a problem that the FIFA series has already struggled with: toxic behavior from some players.
To counteract this, there is a team within EA Sports that specifically deals with such cases, Shepherd explains. However, the problem is complex. Many players who commit discrimination always find ways to circumvent systems.
This is like a fight against windmills. In the end, Shepherd looks positively to the future. EA has a new technology in hand to combat discrimination in the new EA Sports FC 24 even better.
The discussion about the mixing of women and men will probably accompany us for a while.
To cool your emotions a bit: Sit back and take a look at our prediction of the ten best players in EA Sports FC 24.
