Few franchises have come under the spotlight of controversy and mixed player perception like EA Sports’FCseries, which is carrying on the twenty-odd-year legacy of theFIFAfootball video game franchise. Following the split from the international governing body into a more unilateral development approach, many fans expected a bevy of changes to signal some form of change in identity from the previous regime. As part of these efforts, EA Sports revamped the game’s physics, AI, and career mode inFC 25while teasing the introduction of a Battle Pass to incite even more online gaming competition. However, the subject of a paid Battle Pass is rather touchy, andFC 25can serve as a test of sorts for EA Sports to weigh the pros and cons before including the feature in future installments.
Premium Battle Passes are all the rave in multiplayer gaming at the moment, as they provide a way for developers to add extra content to their games and turn a regular profit without going down the route of a higher-commitment DLC. Although the gimmick typically features as a staple in shooter games likeCall of Dutyto provide player cosmetics,EA Sports FC 25(likeNBA 2Kbefore it) is exploring how it can fit into the grand blueprint of sports gaming franchises.EA FC25’s Battle Pass, introduced as part of Season 7, may contain a plethora of rewards, but exactly how the fan base will react to even more transactional gameplay is up in the air.
On paper,FC 25’s Battle Passhas all the bang for its buck that grinding players would need. It comes with the traditional Season Points boosters which help to unlock in-game rewards, PlayStyle+ Evolution upgrades, tradeable player packs, and a ton of other perks – even accounting for the steep cost of 1,000 FC Points needed to access them in the first place. With these upgrades, there’s a considerable competitive advantage to be had by purchasing the Premium Pass and grinding through the tiers to achieve the rewards on offer.
Perhaps the biggest selling point is the prize to be obtained at the highest tier; a 96-rated Franck Ribery Immortal Icon Card. These are some of therarest cards inFC 25and can often be the difference between winning and losing matches. With this in mind, it stands to reason that EA Sports is putting such an elite card behind a paywall. The message is simple here – pay to grind effectively and leave nothing to chance.
FC 25 Runs the Risk of Becoming Even More Dependent on Spending
The main drawback of the Battle Pass lies in that same message of pay-to-win, and it calls EA Sports' ethics in terms of competitive spirit into question. Generally, the rule of thumb is for the base game to remain free-to-play while the battle pass serves as the paid additional content. That way, gamers don’t have to double-dip and spend ludicrous amounts to attain some perceived level of luxury or elite gameplay.
FC 25, by contrast, demands a hefty purchasing fee while already having a system in place for players to buy points for upgrades. As such, the addition of a Premium Pass comes off as a barely-disguised cash grab from the developer – and it’s a perception that is difficult to shake off given the current state of affairs. For example, guaranteeingplayer cards like the Franck Ribery Immortal Iconin the Battle Pass essentially robsFC 25of the enthusiasm that comes with opening hard-earned packs.
Earning these packs could already be sidestepped by buying points, and now the Battle Pass is another expense that presents itself in the never-ending grind. While the developer has emphasized that the Premium Pass is a purely additive experience (meaning sticking to the free path is possible), it’s not far-fetched to imagine the anger of the community at havingyet another thing to pay for inFC 25. The biggest question for EA Sports is whether the certainty of rewards from the Battle Pass outweighs the playerbase’s desire to keep transactional gameplay to a minimum.
