The multibillion dollar megacorporation Electronic Arts has decided that players should be able to peek into or preview the contents of a loot box in FIFA 21 before buying it.

This comes as a bit of a surprise, considering how EA themselves marketed its predatory microtranscation scheme and loot boxes in FIFA as “surprise mechanics”. Maybe they are finally backing down due to the numerous international lawsuits they’ve been facing over this. 

Despite this change, one can’t help but think “about time”. 

Getting back to the preview feature, it is a very simple change. However, it remains to be seen if this will be the next new thing AAA publishers do to keep microtransactions in their games.

It is also worth noting that this news comes around the same time as FIFA 21’s “Festival of FUTball” event. EA are in heavy promotion for the event and clearly don’t want much negative press. 

EA has been pushing it’s FIFA Ultimate Team mode for some time. It involves building your dream team by purchasing them via an in-game currency or through random loot boxes. Of course, the higher tier players are made harder to obtain without spending.

Regardless, EA has been very stubborn about not letting go of its predatory monetization practices, despite the growing list of lawsuits. It remains to be seen how this new move will affect them and their player base.

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