Published 16:15 IST, December 1st 2020
EA SPORTS hit with FIFA 21 scripting lawsuit for “dictating outcomes to drive up sales”
Popular video game developer EA Sports has once again been hit with a FIFA 21 lawsuit, with plaintiffs claiming that it 'scripts' results to boost sales.
Video game developer EA Sports has been hit with another FIFA 21 lawsuit, with it being claimed that EA SPORTS uses “deceptive practices” and “false advertising” to drive sales in its FIFA Ultimate Team mode. Notably, FIFA Ultimate Team has been hugely successful online for EA Sports, with media reports revealing that the game mode brought in a stunning $1.49 billion in revenue in the year 2020. Several fans have filed lawsuits against FIFA 21 recently, with many claiming that EA Sports ‘scripts’ outcomes to drive sales.
Another FIFA 21 lawsuit filed with EA Sports FIFA 21 scripting claim
The latest FIFA 21 lawsuit has been filed by three FIFA 21 gamers, namely Jason Zajnoc, Danyael Williams, and Pranko Lozano. The United States federal lawsuit, Zajonc vs Electronic Arts, was brought to the notice of the Californian court. The FIFA 21 lawsuit claimed that EA Sports willingly and unlawfully tricks FIFA 21 players into buying Ultimate Team loot boxes, by using artificial intelligence that adjusts the game difficulty dynamically. According to the plaintiffs, the practice is having a direct impact on the outcome of matches.
The FIFA 21 lawsuit was filed in November and mentioned that technologies like ‘Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment’ and ‘Adaptive Difficulty’ are used by EA Sports to influence the outcome of the matches. According to the plaintiffs, the EA Sports FIFA 21 scripting practice allows the game developer to sell more FIFA 21 Ultimate Team packs. The gamers who filed the lawsuit believe that the practice in question violates Californian consumer protection laws, with EA Sports responding to the FIFA 21 lawsuit by calling the claims baseless.
What is the EA Sports FIFA 21 scripting allegation?
This is not the first time a set of gamers have alleged that EA Sports indulges in what is called ‘scripting’ in the gaming community. According to many gamers, features like ‘Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment’ and ‘Adaptive Difficulty’ are used to adjust the player’s stat points, both on the front of the card and in-game. The change in stat points has the ability to influence the game’s result, as it can lead to bad passes, poor shots, and wildly varying pace for FIFA players.
According to FIFA 21 fans, this tactic is called ‘scripting’ and is done to influence online players to buy more and more FIFA 21 Ultimate Team packs in the hope of receiving better players to become more competitive.
This is not the first time an EA Sports controversy has arisen regarding the Ultimate Team mode featured in games like Madden, FIFA 21 and NHL. A class-action lawsuit was filed earlier this year in the US, with the plaintiff alleging that multiple EA Sports titles break local gambling laws. Similar lawsuits against the game developer have been filed in the Netherlands and France, with the company facing fines of up to $11.7 million.
Image Credits: FIFA 21 Twitter
Updated 16:16 IST, December 1st 2020