A lawsuit has been filed in the USA against Electronic Arts regarding the FIFA 21 series. The lawsuit addresses contentious issues such as the long-discussed momentum: EA is accused of manipulating difficulty levels in FIFA and the outcomes of matches. The plaintiffs believe that such mechanics lead to more pack purchases in FIFA 21.
This is the case: In the USA, three players filed a lawsuit in a district court in California against Electronic Arts. Several EA Sports games are addressed in this lawsuit:
- The Madden NFL games 17 to 21
- The NHL games 17 to 21
- And the FIFA games – also parts 17 to 21
The focus is primarily on the Ultimate Team modes in the games, where players must build the strongest team possible. In FIFA 21, players can obtain players on the transfer market through tasks and other activities – but primarily from packs. The chances of pulling a strong player here are not particularly high.
Packs can be purchased with the coins earned in-game, but also with real money in the form of FIFA Points.
Primarily, the lawsuit focuses on the issues that players have been raising for years: mechanics that allegedly dynamically adjust the difficulty in the game.
Momentum, Scripting, and DDA as central points of the lawsuit
The lawsuit accuses EA of using mechanics like “Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment” (DDA) or “Adaptive Difficulty” without the majority of players’ knowledge and without disclosure: “At least some of these technologies use heuristic predictions and interventions to adaptively change the difficulty of games and influence or even dictate outcomes, thereby engaging players more deeply,” the plaintiffs accuse EA.
The plaintiffs aim to clarify several questions, such as: “Whether EA uses DDA, Adaptive Difficulty, or other mechanisms for adjusting difficulty (like scripting, throttling, or momentum) in its EA Sports games;”
They are also requesting disclosure on whether such mechanics are used in FUT, whether this influences match outcomes, and whether EA should have disclosed such a mechanism clearly.
What is behind Momentum? For years, players have suspected mechanics like “Momentum” in the game that influence match outcomes. This issue is repeatedly raised. Even before the launch of FIFA 21, the topic was revisited. EA emphasized in August 2020 that such a mechanic does not exist in the game.
This is the effect it should have on packs: The plaintiffs accuse EA in their lawsuit that such mechanics affect players who buy packs. They would have an influence on the game that goes beyond the stats of the players in their own team – making players from packs less valuable:
This is a self-reinforcing cycle that benefits EA to the detriment of EA Sports players, as the difficulty adjustment mechanisms lead players to believe their teams are not as good as they actually are, which causes them to purchase additional player packs in the hope of obtaining better players and being more competitive.
Excerpt from the lawsuit (translated from English)
Thus, players are led to buy more and more packs, according to the plaintiffs. According to them, the game violates California consumer protection laws, engages in false advertising, and leads to unjust enrichment.
This is EA’s response: In a brief statement to GamesIndustry.biz, an EA representative said: “We believe the claims are baseless and misrepresent our games, and we will defend ourselves.” The lawsuit was filed in November but has yet to be brought to court.
In addition to the discussion about momentum, another critical issue concerning FIFA 21 is currently being discussed: Zlatan Ibrahimovic raised the question on Twitter regarding player representation in FIFA 21 and whether it is even legal. Since then, a player advisor has continued this discussion.
