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[cormack12]

Source: https://www.videogameschronicle.com...-every-week-until-it-removes-fifa-loot-boxes/

The independent body ruled in 2018 that FIFA’s Ultimate Team Packs mechanic was in violation of its Gambling Act, and suggested the weekly fine (up to a maximum of €10 million), which was then challenged by EA in court.

According to NU.nl, the FIFA publisher had argued that the content of its FUT packs only had value within the game itself, as they could not be converted into money.

However, the judge dismissed EA’s objections on Thursday and ordered that if the company wants to avoid the weekly fine, it would need to disable loot boxes within three weeks.

In a statement provided to VGC, EA’s Benelux Country Manager, Dirk Scholing said the company would appeal the decision.

 

[Dinkle]

Good, fuck EA.

 

[Silver Wattle]

Good, these are gambling and also ruin gaming.

 

[Night.Ninja]

EA are probably making more money weekly than the fine will be lol

 

[Gediminas]

EA are probably making more money weekly than the fine will be lol

yes, but fines works like ladders. the more you abuse it the more you pay it.

 

[AJUMP23]

Andrew Wilson is watching Europe destroy his cash printing baby.

 

[TLZ]

Great. I hope this crap dies forever.

 

[Maybe It's Medicine?]

Calling it now, if EA loses their money scam, they don't suddenly start actually making content again, but instead fold to the highest bidder.

 

[Rbk_3]

They could go the COD route and get rid of lootboxes and just sell packs of shit. That way you at least know where your money is going to go.

 

[TwistedSyn]

Good. Fuck EA.

 

[mitch1971]

nice

 

[martino]

 

[Mahavastu]

EA are probably making more money weekly than the fine will be lol

Not sure about that.
The Netherlands are a rather small country and $10mio per week is quite a lot.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Well done.
Not only do they charge people for a new game every year with minimal change And take advantage of the licenses they hold. They do Loot boxes Worse than almost everyone.
Fuck EA

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

Time to start drawing up plans for a season pass in sports games!

 

[Fuz]

EA are probably making more money weekly than the fine will be lol

That's the real problem.

 

[GreatnessRD]

If only the United States had a set of balls to do this. But to keep the train rolling...

Good! Fuck EA!

 

[Geki-D]

What exactly was this? Like packs you buy but you don't actually know what's inside?

 

[Night.Ninja]

If only the United States had a set of balls to do this. But to keep the train rolling...

Good! Fuck EA!

Land of the fuck everybody over will NEVER have anything like this

 

[Aion002]

 

[VulcanRaven]

Good news but then they might decide not to release the next year's game in that country.

 

[MastaKiiLA]

Can other EU courts use the Dutch case as precedent? I can only hope. If FIFA loot boxes get banned in the EU, that would also ban them for NBA2k. That means that even if 2k and EA somehow eliminated them only for the EU, gamers would have the option of downloading from the EU store to get around that annoying mechanic.

 

[tvdaXD]

Not sure about that.
The Netherlands are a rather small country and $10mio per week is quite a lot.

Small sure, but ranks very high on many lists. (Such as HDI & GDP for example) It's a very nice country.
Hopefully this is the first of many. Things need to change with gaming when it comes to lootboxes. Overwatch for example is doing ok imo.

 

[J-Roderton]

So I’m out of the loop with this practice in sports games. You have to unlock players or something through the packs or it cosmetic shit?

 

[FearlessBelgian]

Amazing. FY EA.

 

[cormack12]

What exactly was this? Like packs you buy but you don't actually know what's inside?

Yeah you buy a pack which contains players and each player has a chance of being a particular level. Obviously the mroe packs you open, the more higher rated players you eventually unlock. But they have like special editions of the same players to make it even more cheap. You can onyl use them for that edition of Fifa as well. All that team you spent 12 months building up in Fifa 20? Time to buy it again in Fifa 21

 

[00_Zer0]

Looks like EA is FUTcked.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Delicious. Get fucked EA! ❤

 

[diffusionx]

I don't know how big the Dutch market is, but what if they make more off FUT gambling than 10 million Euros?

 

[hemo memo]

Thank god. Hopefully everyone follow but ofcourse the US will not because fuck capitalism.

 

[AJUMP23]

Calling it now, if EA loses their money scam, they don't suddenly start actually making content again, but instead fold to the highest bidder.

Maybe they will be bought on a Wednesday.

 

[Warnen]

Ea on game pass... ea in trouble without mt funds... MS buys ea...

Profit?

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

Good start. Now keep going.

 

[tryDEATH]

Thank God, please rest of Europe follow the lead so it dies of in the States too. So tired of FUT getting the majority of development, when they have Pro Clubs a mode that is infintly better rotting on the sideline. Pro Clubs would be the best eSport in gaming with in a year or two if they actually gave a shit.

 

[Great Hair]

Take that you greedy bastards!

 

[Mahavastu]

Small sure, but ranks very high on many lists. (Such as HDI & GDP for example) It's a very nice country.

of course it is
The question was if EA earns more money than the fine they have to pay.
And I guess that EA does not, simply because the Netherlands are too small to earn enough for the high fine of $10mio per week

Hopefully this is the first of many. Things need to change with gaming when it comes to lootboxes. Overwatch for example is doing ok imo.

Yepp, right.
And seeing these random loot boxes as gambling is a good start

 

[BlackM1st]

People are so easily exploited one way or another. I personally can't imagine spending any money in the casino for a yearly roster updates.

 

[JLB]

EA: "But, can I pay the fine with Ultimate Player Packs?"

 

[Slings and Arrows]

Hopefully this is the final whistle on Lootboxes, FUT packs et al.

Gambling has no place in gaming.

 

[KemoSabe]

The problem are people that are buying these shitty fut packs.

 

[Bladed Thesis]

They'll just turn it off in the Netherlands and be done with it.

You'll still see FUT packs in every other country and I'd have to imagine, while a significant amount of a money, the total Netherlands contribution to the EA FUT billions isn't as big as others. By a long shot.

 

[hemo memo]

Maybe they will be bought on a Wednesday.

 

[JLB]

There's a philosophical issue that people tend to understate.
See, by principle, I believe that anyone should be free to do whatever they want with its money. If someone is happy buying Fifa player packs, who am I to judge him/her? By the same principle, we should prohibit food with fat for obese people, or alcohol for the society as a whole.
My only caveat to this are minors, and people with mental conditions, basically those without full capacity to reason and/or take decisions on their own.

 

[Edgelord79]

This pleases me. Now, Canada, please follow suit.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

It is gambling. When you're buying shit based on luck of the roll it is.

However, I remember EA or Activision (think it had to do with COD) in some old articles saying there were going to be more transparent and tell people odds of winning shit.

Did that ever happen?

 

[VanEs]

Apparently we have moving images of the whole ordeal.

 

[Rolla]

EA's greed fucked over every publisher in the industry in terms of DLC.

 

[Aidah]

If you can't succeed without surprise mechanics, you don't deserve to succeed.

 

[Kayoba]

 

[imsosleepy]

lets not kid ourselfs with this. The fine is so small for EA..