EA have said that “after further discussions with the Belgian authorities,” they have decided to stop selling FIFA Points in the territory, with a view to removing them by the end of this month.
Players will no longer be able to buy them and use them in Ultimate Team but they will be able to spend any points they have banked at the moment.
“We seek to bring choice, fairness, value and fun to our players in all our games,” said EA in a statement. “In addition to providing players options in how they play, we include pack probabilities in our games for the transparency players want to make informed content choices.”
“While we are taking this action, we do not agree with Belgian authorities’ interpretation of the law, and we will continue to seek more clarity on the matter as we go forward. The impact of this change to FIFA Ultimate Team in Belgium is not material to our financial performance.”
Last year Belgium’s Gaming Commission ruled that loot box purchases in video games were gambling, forcing companies such as Blizzard and Valve to remove them from their games. EA had, until now, resisted any changes.
Source: EA
ron_mcphatty
Huh, if there’s no impact on their financial performance then maybe they can stop including these microtransactions in their games altogether?
MrYd
No, I think they mean “There’s only like 7 people living in Belgium, so it’s not going to make any difference.”
Ok, 11 million or so. Still not many. Not worth arguing with them if they’re going to be so ridiculous and the lawyers would cost more than they make from 1 small country.