Electronic Arts is introducing Preview Packs to its FIFA Ultimate Team game mode, which will allow players to determine the contents of a loot box before purchasing it.
EA made the announcement via an official blog post, confirming that Preview Packs have been designed to allow players an opportunity to determine whether or not a particular pack is worth the monetary investment. Starting from June 18 and running through to the conclusion of the Festival of FUTball, which has yet to be confirmed, Preview Packs will be implemented into FIFA Ultimate Team. They will replace all other packs in the in-game store for the duration of the event; once the campaign ends, normal player packs will return.
EA elaborated more on how exactly these Preview Packs will work, describing a new "in-game flow." Preview Packs will look similar to normal player packs but will be marked with a small eye icon just underneath the name of the pack. Once the pack has been selected, the opening animation will play out, which can be skipped or viewed in its entirety. Players will then be shown the contents of the pack and if they like what they see, they can purchase the pack by pressing the appropriate button.
If a player chooses to not purchase the pack, the pack will remain in the store. The eye icon will be replaced by a cooldown timer, which ticks down in real-time. Once the countdown reaches zero, another pack of the same type can be previewed. The timer used to demonstrate the adjusted mechanic reads 20 hours and 35 minutes.
The implementation of this new system comes after months of controversy surrounding Electronic Arts' implementation of loot boxes in several live service games. Many countries around the world, including Germany, England and the United States of America, have begun investigating loot boxes as a form of gambling which should be regulated.
Earlier this year it was discovered that FIFA Ultimate Team, a game mode included with every annual FIFA game, was one of EA's largest revenue streams. The game mode tasks players with building up a team of footballers and challenging opponents with their unique squad. Team members can only be unlocked through in-game player packs, which effectively function as loot boxes.
EA's move to implement Preview Packs is unprecedented for the company and may mark a shift away from its standard loot box practices. Whether Preview Packs continue after the conclusion of the Festival of FUTball remains unknown.
FIFA 2021Â is available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia and PC.
Source: Electronic Arts