The highest court in the Netherlands has ruled that card packs in FIFA Ultimate Team are not a form of gambling. The ruling overturns a decision from 2019 that ruled that they were, and rescinds a €10 million fine given to EA for breaching Dutch gambling law.
]]>Last year, a lawsuit put a common FIFA fan theory into legal action. Three people sued EA for allegedly using a technology called 'Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment' to make good teams underperform in Ultimate Team mode, leading to players buying more loot boxes so they can build better teams. EA have always denied that. Well, now that lawsuit has been dropped, apparently after speaking with EA engineers about how the game works.
]]>Electronic Arts have rebranded their Origin Access subscription service to EA Play, and announced that it will launch on Steam on August 31st. As before, it lets people play many of EA's games for as long as they pay, with a pricier tier giving access to their newest games. However, it seems only the basic version of EA Play is coming to Steam - EA are keeping their Pro tier to their own platform, Origin, for now.
]]>Sports are coming back. Kind of. The early days of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic saw makeshift sports stunts like TV networks airing NHL20 games and tournaments of real F1 drivers playing F12019.
Now, proper sports folks are getting back on the proper pitch but they won't have a proper audience to cheer for them because stadiums full of folks would be a major social distancing blunder. Instead, Sky Sports will be piping in fake crowd noises in to their broadcast so those of ya watching at home still feel like it's the realest of real deals.
]]>With the football off thanks to the pandemic, the English Premier League is turning to Fifa 20 to settle rivalries. Starting today, the ePremier League Invitational knockout tournament will see 20 Premier League players (well, and a few fans) throwing down in Fifa, leading to a final on Saturday that'll even be shown on Sky Sports. Many sports have been running similar virtual competitions in video games from NBA 2K20 to F1 2019.
]]>The Children's Commissioner for England, an official but independent role advocating for children's rights and interests, has recommended that the government control loot boxes under gambling laws. This week the Commissioner's office published a report into the experiences of kiddywinkles who play games online, with a few action points. After talking with kids, it recognises a lot of good they get from games but is wary of the pressures they can feel, particularly when money gets involved. And so the report calls for tighter legal controls on loot boxes and other microtransactions.
]]>Trying to keep up with E3 2019 is a fool's errand, and the foaming river of content streaming down the internet's face doesn't always make it easier. So here's a round-up of every news story from the show we think matters to you, with links to our full stories (and bantful liveblogs) where relevant. We'll be updating this hourly, so keep coming back.
]]>EA blabbed about their latest annual Fifa kickabout during their big E3 blast and oooh hang on this year's big addition looks pretty neat! FIFA 20 will return to the streets with Volta mode for smaller kickabouts where the fashion is casual and the style dramatic. As an occasional matchgoer, it's my informed opinion that the worst part of football is the faff around the ball going out of bounds so heck yes let's go play on courts and in cages where we can kick balls--and even ourselves--of walls. That's the good goals. See in the trailer below.
]]>Brendan: We are in Los Angeles, Matt! And we are doing a fun new thing. We're going to liveblog the heck out of these press conferences, but with a twist. One of us can only be enthusiastic, positive and cheery, no matter what comes up. And the other can only be snarky, grumpy and critical. Who would you like to be today? The cheerer or the jeerer? Choose carefully: EA is our first conference.
Matt: I am ready to delight in the wonders of a new Apex Legends map. Let’s go!
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