EA hit with lawsuits in France over FIFA Ultimate Team mode

While EA Sports has many titles to its name, FIFA stands out for the corporation – both in popularity and in monetization. In recent years, many in the gaming community have complained that FIFA Ultimate Team mode (FUT) favors the rich. Those who are willing to spend the most cash often obtain the best players.

Now, according to the French newspaper L’Equipe, two Parisian lawyers have decided to take legal action against EA due to the actions that Ultimate Team mode encourages. Karim Morand-Lahouazi and Victor Zagury have filed lawsuits against the game developers. They argue that FIFA Ultimate Team mode is a form of gambling and should be regarded as such.

Ultimate Team mode has been a part of FIFA since 2009. These days, gamers use it to qualify for major Global Series events during Weekend Leagues. Such players often spend real money to build up their team and get the best players to compete against opponents. Those who cannot afford it just hope for some good rewards. However, some players take on desperate means just to afford coins so as to buy the players they require to be competitive.

FIFA lawsuit reasons

One of these lawyers, Victor Zagury, discussed the lengths players go to in order to obtain their dream team. In a talk with L’Equipe, he revealed that his client has spent €600 (about $663 USD) in five months without receiving a big player. He places the blame on EA for creating a game mode with such addictive tendencies and states that they integrated gambling into the title.

L’Equipe also spoke to FIFA gamer Mamadou, who said that his FIFA Ultimate Team addiction has caused him to fall behind on rent. Yet despite spending hundreds of Euros on the game, the best player he has received was Napoli’s defender, Manolas. He reiterated the claims that the game is addictive:

You quickly become addicted to this game… whenever I buy a pack, I tell myself that this is the last time, but I always do it again. You get so frustrated when you don’t get good enough players that you buy again and again

While Mamadou has spent €600, he also claims to know others who have spent €2000 or €3000 on the game so far.

The two lawyers hope to use these lawsuits to not only have the mode treated as gambling, but also to gain knowledge about the algorithm behind the distribution of player packs. We’ll have to wait and see if their efforts prove successful.