Anyone who has played part of the FC series knows how important the loot boxes with new strong players are. Korea is now putting a stop to this and demands transparency. EA does not see it that way – and instead simply no longer offers FC-Points.
What has changed in Korea? The country of South Korea passed a new law in March that requires the chances of each virtual item to be clearly indicated. This law was enacted to ensure more transparency in gambling within games (according to koreajoongangdaily.joins.com).
Why is EA refraining from selling in-game currency? EA does not want to specify the exact chances for players in Ultimate Packs. As a result, they are forced to block the gambling elements in FC for South Korea. EA’s way is simple: they stop selling FC-Points.
The next title in the series, FC26, is set to be released in South Korea despite this change. The standard version will be sold as usual, but there will be no gambling feature. The Ultimate version is not planned to be sold from the start, as it already includes some FC-Points as a bonus (according to insider-gaming.com).
South Korea is not the only country fighting against loot boxes
Which other country has introduced laws against gambling in video games? In 2018, a law was passed in Belgium that classifies loot boxes for real money in video games as illegal. As a result, loot boxes were completely banned from the games for the Belgian population.
However, there is one exception where game manufacturers must acquire an official gambling license. This license is obtained from the Gambling Commission of Belgium and is the only legal way to sell loot boxes in this country (vgfb.be).
Are there any laws against loot boxes in Germany? No, not like in South Korea or Belgium. However, Germany introduced a new rule on January 1, 2023, for the evaluation of the USK, which considers loot boxes and gambling in the rating process. This is to protect young consumers (according to igamingbusiness.com).
That EA charges a lot of money for virtual players is no secret. Recently, FC25 caused quite a stir on Reddit. The popular feature EVO is becoming increasingly expensive. With this feature, you can upgrade and improve your players: A feature in EA FC 25 costs over 500 euros or 12 million coins – fans fear it could get worse
