EA adds further monetisation to EA Sports FC 25
New optional Premium Tier of in-game rewards can be purchased with real money or virtual currency
Electronic Arts is adding another level of monetisation to its flagship football series with a new Premium Tier of in-game rewards in EA Sports FC 25.
As reported by VG247, the new tier is in addition to the usual free tier of card packs, players and cosmetics that players unlock as they complete challenges in the game. Once they reach a certain reward level, they will have the option to unlock the additional Premium Tier rewards.
EA has yet to specify pricing for this additional tier, but the publisher has said players will be able to unlock it with Ultimate Team coins (which are earned in game) or FC Points (which are purchased with real money).
Ultimate Team design director Richard Waltz told VG247 that there will be "nothing in the paid tier that can't be earned in the free tier."
EA Sports FC 25 launches for PC and consoles on September 27.
Electronic Arts has been under scrutiny for years over how it monetises its football titles, first as FIFA and now EA Sports FC.
In addition to game sales, its earns revenue through the sale of FC Points for use in Ultimate Team, which accounted for 29% of the publisher's entire business by 2021. The company ceased sharing revenue figures for Ultimate Team in 2022.
The use of randomised card packs has led to legal disputes in various markets, with EA unable to sell FC Points or the Ultimate Edition of its games (which comes with FC Points) in Belgium.
Last year, EA and Sony were ordered to pay €10,800 to Austrian players who bought Ultimate Team card packs after courts ruled that these violated gambling laws. A similar dispute went back and forth in the Netherlands, although that nation's highest court eventually ruled that Ultimate Team did not violate gambling laws.