Are EA Killing Their Sports Games With Microtransactions?

Sean Halliday of Pixel Gate writes:

''Microtransactions are becoming commonplace in a lot of videogames in recent years. They were once a key feature in most free-to-play games, but now they’re making their way into retail releases. Microtransactions have the ability to support or break a game, and it’s purely down to how they are handled that determines which side the swinging pendulum falls upon. The difference between how free-to-play and retail games offer microtransactions is that an initial investment is usually required. Retail games with microtransactions represent a potentially huge problem, especially if said game has a large focus on multiplayer. In that vein, enter Fifa 14.''

[GamerEuphoria]

Fifa mostly referenced due to not playing the latest Madden

[GuyThatPlaysGames]

I can't wait until EA's license for the NFL runs out! Madden games suck so much it's not even funny.

[TrueJerseyDevil]

@OVOXO_Mike

Madden 25 (next gen version) is a good game, better than most lately. I could argue that it is the best madden ever. It is good first step for the game going into the next generation, and I hope they keep improving

[Simco876]

@JerseyDevil

Can I draft a fantasy team in Madden 25?

[frostypants]

Yeah...Madden hasn't undergone a significant change in over a decade. They're still using the same damn models and animations. They just bump up the resolution, screw with the textures, add one feature and remove another, and call it a new game every year. It's turned into goddamn Golden Tee.

[LordMaim]

Or Mass Effect 3, or Dead Space 3. Its not just the sports games they're shoehorning this wretched practice into.

[nategrigs]

Thats true, but in many cases they make the only sports games available. I love hockey games and only have one choice. The same thing applies to football games.

[ramiuk1]

i love fifa but what annoys me is the people who buy there teams with real money giving them an advantage imo.
i refuse to buy coins(i could afford easily)but i wont as i hate microtransactions.

in gaming people had the best armor,players,weapons because they was good at the game and had progressed,these days u can buy it.

it is killing gaming and the companies know its the kids buying all the crap with there parents money,credit card on there MS/psn account and just spending away without them realising prob.

EA does seem the worst imo,but i have just logged into ghosts and it says i can turn my dog into a wolf for £1.89 lol.

[b163o1]

This really kills my dreams of games letting us download there soundtracks to our hard drives. $60+ we should've been able to do last generation. Fifa ST has always been on point, and if it were available I'd have songs from Fifa 08 still on my hard drive today...

[showtimefolks]

no but fans sure thing so, you know what's funny about MC is that you don't need to use it. Just play the game and grind you way or just pay for little things that you think are worth it now

for example dead space 3, you can build all the weapons and mods if you play through the game, or if you don't want to wait till the end you can pay a little and get awesome weapons earlier in the game

gamers can complain all they want MC are here to stay and in my opinion are not a bad thing. Having options are never bad thing. Some of us don't have time to grind hours to get something when we only have an hour for gaming per day and few hours per week

GT6 has done it well, MC are very expensive so you think twice about paying but if you don't mind than option is there

[Highlife]

I disagree if you pay full price for a game you should get the whole game. The only time micro transactions should be excepted is in free to play games PERIOD .

[showtimefolks]

what do you mean full game? dead space 3 was a complete game, you could spend money to gain some weapons instead of having to grind

how is that not complete game?

[HomerJDog]

I really buy sport games but recently bought fight night champion in xbox live for $5. went online and noticed u can upgrade ur online characters stats with micro transactions. that's some bs. will never pay for shit like this.

[Eonjay]

No, I'm sure the games are killing the micro transactions.

[Joe913]

how do micro transactions work in sports games.

[WalterWJR]

You buy packs of cards which contain players.

They have been doing it for many years now, it's a joke.

[yezz]

You can also use the in-game currency that you get by actually playing the game. As long as they keep that in Fifa I have no problems with micro transactions because I don't need them at all..

There are so many awful Fifa kids out there that buy packs with 100$ and get all the best players but still lose to cheap but well constructed teams.

[Nerdmaster]

EA kills every game that has the back luck to fall on its hands.

[NYC_Gamer]

EA are killing sports games with bugs/glitches and no real gameplay improvements

[demonicale666]

They're killing them by releasing the same game over and over with a slight polish. Oh and not to mention bugs that never get fixed.

[nategrigs]

I agree......but I can't wait for next gen NHL

[frostypants]

What love is when they add a feature...then remove it...than add it again with a new name and call it an upgrade.

[berndogskate]

Fifa packs are a joke, so is the price of points, they should be arrested for robbery

[snookiegamer]

EA kill everything ;(

[evilbart]

Yeah it's next to impossible to get the players you want for fifa without purchasing player packs but these kids are eating them up so unfortunately it's not going to stop.

[iistuii]

That's just not true. I never buy packs, I earn them by dealing in the transfer market & playing games. I do happen to know a couple of lads at work who spend a fortune on the game, yet are always moaning about never getting anyone good in their packs. I got plenty of top player s in packs I've bought with in game coins.

[LeCreuset]

Time after time we see microtransactions effecting games in meaningful ways. Look at how in a game called Grand Theft Auto I can't steal the good cars and park them in my garage when playing online.

[pop-voxuli]

The headline should read:
"Is the game industry Killing itself With Microtransactions?"

And then the answer would be a huge "HELL YES".

[BG11579]

Micro-transactions, useless DLC (color costumes!) and day one DLCs are a Fatality for my will to buy a game.

[MxRBrobaFett]

No point in making a long post about it. The answer is yes.

[iistuii]

Fifa UT player here. Founder member, been playing from day 1 & never bought a pack in my life. Got a great all gold team, win plenty, lose plenty, enjoy it a lot. You don't need to buy packs, earn them by playing. However on EA's side of things Fifa 12 UT made them $100 million by selling packs & has been increasing yearly, so you really can't blame them, it's business after all.

[franko]

EA are killing their games. Period.

[JeromeNtheHouse]

They're killing their sports games by puttin out garbage every year. Madden sucks, and NBA Live is HORRIBLE. Only good sports game they got goin right now is Fifa, and that took several years for them to kinda gain that title back, cuz Pro Evolution was killin em for years and years.

I really wish 2K can get back into the football mix man. Honestly, I would love to see many other game companies make football games again like how it used to be. That way, they can have some competition.

[DanielGearSolid]

Ea Sports is still doing well commercially, so I would say no, microtransactions aren't killing their games

[Sayburr]

It is not JUST EA. I got a refund for NBA 2k14 because of two issues 1) couldn't play a single player game because of server issues and 2) VC, their virtual currency system. You just simply couldn't earn enough in game to update your player. You would never earn enough to play all of the modes without buying more or using their app to get free VC or waiting to see if they gift more through locker codes.

It took the enjoyment of the game and murdered it cruelly.

[GamerEuphoria]

I'm a actually in the middle of writing something up on NBA 2K. It's a brilliant game restrained by greed and penny pinching

[CaptainN]

EA sucks...when will gamers wake up and stop buying these trashy sports games every year that are recycled!!! Stop supporting this bs already..gamers do it to themselves.