Earlier this week, we were made aware of suspicious activity relating to highly rated content in FIFA Ultimate Team. We learned that FUT items were granted to individual accounts that did not earn them through gameplay - i.e. by opening a pack, purchasing through the transfer market, completing a reward challenge (e.g. an SBC completion) or other engagement (e.g. viewing a Twitch Broadcast). It appears that one or more EA accounts, which were either compromised or being used inappropriately by someone within EA, directly entitled items to these individual accounts.
While a full investigation is underway, we wanted to share an update on the issue, including what we’ve learned to date, an overview of the FUT content granting process, and the actions we’re taking to tackle this serious problem. The alleged behavior is unacceptable and in no way do we condone granting or purchasing player items in exchange for money. This practice runs counter to the game's competitive integrity, is a violation of EA’s User Agreement, and is not something we tolerate. We do not allow the trade or sale of items outside our game for many reasons, including that it would create an unequal playing field for our community.
Our initial investigation shows questionable activity involving a very small number of accounts and items. Although it is not a large number, if these allegations prove out, this activity is unacceptable. We want to thank our committed community members for bringing the issue to our attention so quickly.
Next, let’s be clear about what will happen now. When our investigation is completed, we will take action against any employee found to have been engaging in this activity. Any items granted through this illicit activity will be removed from the FUT ecosystem and EA will permanently ban any player known to have acquired content through these means.
Regardless of these actions, we appreciate how concerning this is to all of our players, and we apologize for the impact of these improper grants within the community. We also appreciate how extremely annoying and frustrating it is that this practice might have come from within EA. We’re angry too. We know that the trust of our communities is hard-earned, and is based on principles of Fair Play. This illicit activity shakes that trust. We’ve also been clear since the creation of Ultimate Team that items cannot be exchanged outside our game, and that’s key to how we keep our game safe from manipulation and bad actors. This is a breach of that principle, as well -- and we won’t let it stand.
WHAT IS CONTENT GRANTING
OK, let’s also talk about content granting - what it is, and why we do it. Because in fact it happens all the time - for the right reasons. Content granting is the process by which specific in-game items are directly distributed to a specific player account. This is different from a points or pack grant and usually takes the form of a specific individual item. In FIFA, that could be a player, a kit or a consumable. Unless they are issued to replace lost content, they usually take the form of ‘non-tradeable items’ - meaning they have no exchange value in the game. They cannot be offered on the transfer market for redeemable value and may not be shared with other players.
There are a few scenarios where we grant content that has not been earned or acquired through gameplay. The three most prevalent are:
Worldwide Customer Experience:
Sometimes players accidentally delete content, it goes missing because of technical issues, or we have made a mistake on our side where a player is then granted content as a make-good. In those events, our Customer Experience team will check a player’s account, identify if they have experienced one of those unfortunate circumstances, and then grant the content as appropriate.
Testing & QV:
The second scenario where content might be granted is for testing and quality verification. With the scale and complexity of the FIFA and Ultimate Team experience, it’s important that we understand how items perform and interact with each other, not only in-gameplay, but within all the other systems in the game (i.e. Chemistry). Most of the time, this practice happens on dedicated test servers which aren’t visible to our global player base, but sometimes we have to test in the live environment to ensure useability of the content when it is pushed ‘live’. This is done solely for quality and stability assurance and we have dedicated test accounts for this purpose.
The world of football powers our FIFA game, and often we want to recognize contributions that have been made by certain Pro Footballers, celebrity partners, or even our own employees to drive it forward. Sometimes we do this through the granting of in-game content. The items granted on a discretionary basis to these partners or employees are always non-tradeable and can be used only by the account to which they were originally granted. We do not use this discretionary process to grant content to professional video game influencers.
The sum of items granted through these three scenarios combined is less than 0.0006% of the total player items in the FIFA 21 ecosystem. These grants have no impact on the odds of any player in the ecosystem acquiring these players - they have no bearing on the overall volume of available content, and all content that is granted is untradeable, with no associated coin value.
Obviously, the actions being alleged in this case fall far outside of these legitimate scenarios for granting content.
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW
We have launched a rigorous investigation, narrowing how this may have happened and identifying those accounts which have received content through this illicit method. We will permanently ban any accounts identified as receiving items transferred nefariously, and we have suspended all discretionary content granting for an indefinite period.
Once again, we highly value and appreciate the commitment and support of the FIFA community in helping identify this issue and will continue to provide updates as the investigation progresses towards conclusion.
The people that spent that much probably have some $$$ lying around to go again probably. Tbh if I was smart and the moment I see this new, I would immediately go on coin selling sites to get rid of everything as fast as possible.
(not suggesting it is a good idea for anyone to buy or sell coins btw)
The fact they acknowlege that some of their partners, athletes and employees get free cards but don't see the problem with it is worrying. It can have a direct impact on myself and others during WL or Rivals.
I honestly don't care really....But not sure how they can justify doing that when it clearly does impact way more than they think.
They give a PIM Gullit to some minor second league footballer and he plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who then matches against me in WL. That's affecting me ffs.
Earlier this week, we were made aware of suspicious activity relating to highly rated content in FIFA Ultimate Team. We learned that FUT items were granted to individual accounts that did not earn them through gameplay - i.e. by opening a pack, purchasing through the transfer market, completing a reward challenge (e.g. an SBC completion) or other engagement (e.g. viewing a Twitch Broadcast). It appears that one or more EA accounts, which were either compromised or being used inappropriately by someone within EA, directly entitled items to these individual accounts.
While a full investigation is underway, we wanted to share an update on the issue, including what we’ve learned to date, an overview of the FUT content granting process, and the actions we’re taking to tackle this serious problem. The alleged behavior is unacceptable and in no way do we condone granting or purchasing player items in exchange for money. This practice runs counter to the game's competitive integrity, is a violation of EA’s User Agreement, and is not something we tolerate. We do not allow the trade or sale of items outside our game for many reasons, including that it would create an unequal playing field for our community.
Our initial investigation shows questionable activity involving a very small number of accounts and items. Although it is not a large number, if these allegations prove out, this activity is unacceptable. We want to thank our committed community members for bringing the issue to our attention so quickly.
Next, let’s be clear about what will happen now. When our investigation is completed, we will take action against any employee found to have been engaging in this activity. Any items granted through this illicit activity will be removed from the FUT ecosystem and EA will permanently ban any player known to have acquired content through these means.
Regardless of these actions, we appreciate how concerning this is to all of our players, and we apologize for the impact of these improper grants within the community. We also appreciate how extremely annoying and frustrating it is that this practice might have come from within EA. We’re angry too. We know that the trust of our communities is hard-earned, and is based on principles of Fair Play. This illicit activity shakes that trust. We’ve also been clear since the creation of Ultimate Team that items cannot be exchanged outside our game, and that’s key to how we keep our game safe from manipulation and bad actors. This is a breach of that principle, as well -- and we won’t let it stand.
WHAT IS CONTENT GRANTING
OK, let’s also talk about content granting - what it is, and why we do it. Because in fact it happens all the time - for the right reasons. Content granting is the process by which specific in-game items are directly distributed to a specific player account. This is different from a points or pack grant and usually takes the form of a specific individual item. In FIFA, that could be a player, a kit or a consumable. Unless they are issued to replace lost content, they usually take the form of ‘non-tradeable items’ - meaning they have no exchange value in the game. They cannot be offered on the transfer market for redeemable value and may not be shared with other players.
There are a few scenarios where we grant content that has not been earned or acquired through gameplay. The three most prevalent are:
Worldwide Customer Experience:
Sometimes players accidentally delete content, it goes missing because of technical issues, or we have made a mistake on our side where a player is then granted content as a make-good. In those events, our Customer Experience team will check a player’s account, identify if they have experienced one of those unfortunate circumstances, and then grant the content as appropriate.
Testing & QV:
The second scenario where content might be granted is for testing and quality verification. With the scale and complexity of the FIFA and Ultimate Team experience, it’s important that we understand how items perform and interact with each other, not only in-gameplay, but within all the other systems in the game (i.e. Chemistry). Most of the time, this practice happens on dedicated test servers which aren’t visible to our global player base, but sometimes we have to test in the live environment to ensure useability of the content when it is pushed ‘live’. This is done solely for quality and stability assurance and we have dedicated test accounts for this purpose.
The world of football powers our FIFA game, and often we want to recognize contributions that have been made by certain Pro Footballers, celebrity partners, or even our own employees to drive it forward. Sometimes we do this through the granting of in-game content. The items granted on a discretionary basis to these partners or employees are always non-tradeable and can be used only by the account to which they were originally granted. We do not use this discretionary process to grant content to professional video game influencers.
The sum of items granted through these three scenarios combined is less than 0.0006% of the total player items in the FIFA 21 ecosystem. These grants have no impact on the odds of any player in the ecosystem acquiring these players - they have no bearing on the overall volume of available content, and all content that is granted is untradeable, with no associated coin value.
Obviously, the actions being alleged in this case fall far outside of these legitimate scenarios for granting content.
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW
We have launched a rigorous investigation, narrowing how this may have happened and identifying those accounts which have received content through this illicit method. We will permanently ban any accounts identified as receiving items transferred nefariously, and we have suspended all discretionary content granting for an indefinite period.
Once again, we highly value and appreciate the commitment and support of the FIFA community in helping identify this issue and will continue to provide updates as the investigation progresses towards conclusion.
The fact they acknowlege that some of their partners, athletes and employees get free cards but don't see the problem with it is worrying. It can have a direct impact on myself and others during WL or Rivals.
I honestly don't care really....But not sure how they can justify doing that when it clearly does impact way more than they think.
They give a PIM Gullit to some minor second league footballer and he plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who then matches against me in WL. That's affecting me ffs.
We already knew pros got special cards and they've given away icons as prizes in their streams before
i just love how they specifically mention they don't condone purchasing players for money, but purchasing points with money for a complete gamble is ok. such hypocrites.
The issue here isn't people buying the Icons, it's that people have obviously felt obliged to part with £1500 because it's the ONLY way of obtaining them.
This game mode is rotten to the core and needs a complete overhaul.
The fact they acknowlege that some of their partners, athletes and employees get free cards but don't see the problem with it is worrying. It can have a direct impact on myself and others during WL or Rivals.
I honestly don't care really....But not sure how they can justify doing that when it clearly does impact way more than they think.
They give a PIM Gullit to some minor second league footballer and he plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who then matches against me in WL. That's affecting me ffs.
Isn't that the 99 version of pro players & things like that? I don't have any issue with that tbh, such a small percentage. Plus you can bet pro players can buy any player they want in the first few weeks, they ain't on our budgets 😂
i just love how they specifically mention they don't condone purchasing players for money, but purchasing points with money for a complete gamble is ok. such hypocrites.
People weren't purchasing them from EA, they did the same with coin buying. Buying specific players would create a much bigger PTW scenario, at least the way it is now, even £0 spenders can get lucky
The fact they acknowlege that some of their partners, athletes and employees get free cards but don't see the problem with it is worrying. It can have a direct impact on myself and others during WL or Rivals.
I honestly don't care really....But not sure how they can justify doing that when it clearly does impact way more than they think.
They give a PIM Gullit to some minor second league footballer and he plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who then matches against me in WL. That's affecting me ffs.
Isn't that the 99 version of pro players & things like that? I don't have any issue with that tbh, such a small percentage. Plus you can bet pro players can buy any player they want in the first few weeks, they ain't on our budgets 😂
No, I've seen pro players and other athletes get given icons and high rated special cards before.
They mention it in their response but becaue it only amounts to 0.0006% of players in the game mode, they don't think it matters. It shouldn't amount to 0.0000000000% if they want to assume it didn't matter.
The fact they acknowlege that some of their partners, athletes and employees get free cards but don't see the problem with it is worrying. It can have a direct impact on myself and others during WL or Rivals.
I honestly don't care really....But not sure how they can justify doing that when it clearly does impact way more than they think.
They give a PIM Gullit to some minor second league footballer and he plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who then matches against me in WL. That's affecting me ffs.
Isn't that the 99 version of pro players & things like that? I don't have any issue with that tbh, such a small percentage. Plus you can bet pro players can buy any player they want in the first few weeks, they ain't on our budgets 😂
No, I've seen pro players and other athletes get given icons and high rated special cards before.
Yeah because it helps market the game so of course EA will give them perks
They didn’t address the root of the problem though which is accessibility and availability of these super rare Moments 🙄
Also didn't mention if them being given out to these accounts effected drop rates for the icons in packs.
Presume not, but who knows how it all works on their side.
Yes they did. Don't get me wrong EA sucks and it's your typical PR statement but they did address
"These grants have no impact on the odds of any player in the ecosystem acquiring these players - they have no bearing on the overall volume of available content, and all content that is granted is untradeable, with no associated coin value."
i just love how they specifically mention they don't condone purchasing players for money, but purchasing points with money for a complete gamble is ok. such hypocrites.
People weren't purchasing them from EA, they did the same with coin buying. Buying specific players would create a much bigger PTW scenario, at least the way it is now, even £0 spenders can get lucky
Oh of course, this scenario hurts their bottom line, well not hurts, but can have an impact dependent on how many people are actually out there that did this
0.0006% might seem small just looking at it, but i bet it's a significant number. absolute shambles. they've only been forced to make so many public updates in the space of a week because this issue has been reported by some of the press which gained traction online
there's a reason why people have been forced to buy these moments players on the "black market" as we all have said, and they refuse to acknowledge that
The fact they acknowlege that some of their partners, athletes and employees get free cards but don't see the problem with it is worrying. It can have a direct impact on myself and others during WL or Rivals.
I honestly don't care really....But not sure how they can justify doing that when it clearly does impact way more than they think.
They give a PIM Gullit to some minor second league footballer and he plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who then matches against me in WL. That's affecting me ffs.
Isn't that the 99 version of pro players & things like that? I don't have any issue with that tbh, such a small percentage. Plus you can bet pro players can buy any player they want in the first few weeks, they ain't on our budgets 😂
No, I've seen pro players and other athletes get given icons and high rated special cards before.
They mention it in their response but becaue it only amounts to 0.0006% of players in the game mode, they don't think it matters. It shouldn't amount to 0.0000000000% if they want to assume it didn't matter.
For people promoting the game & suchlike would get perks, I'm sure that's the same with everything. Mercedes employees get cheaper cars, at my work I get discount PC or electronic goods.
Half the problem is the game is so competitive now & taken so seriously that people actually think 0.0006% makes a difference directly to them.
The fact they acknowlege that some of their partners, athletes and employees get free cards but don't see the problem with it is worrying. It can have a direct impact on myself and others during WL or Rivals.
I honestly don't care really....But not sure how they can justify doing that when it clearly does impact way more than they think.
They give a PIM Gullit to some minor second league footballer and he plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who then matches against me in WL. That's affecting me ffs.
Isn't that the 99 version of pro players & things like that? I don't have any issue with that tbh, such a small percentage. Plus you can bet pro players can buy any player they want in the first few weeks, they ain't on our budgets 😂
No, I've seen pro players and other athletes get given icons and high rated special cards before.
They mention it in their response but becaue it only amounts to 0.0006% of players in the game mode, they don't think it matters. It shouldn't amount to 0.0000000000% if they want to assume it didn't matter.
For people promoting the game & suchlike would get perks, I'm sure that's the same with everything. Mercedes employees get cheaper cars, at my work I get discount PC or electronic goods.
Half the problem is the game is so competitive now & taken so seriously that people actually think 0.0006% makes a difference directly to them.
I don't care, like I said. I'm more trying to be devil's advocate than anything...
However, if you worked for Mercedes and got a cheaper car than regular people then that's not comparable to this situation which is a competitve game. With a Mercedes car, you just have a nicer car irl.
The fact they acknowlege that some of their partners, athletes and employees get free cards but don't see the problem with it is worrying. It can have a direct impact on myself and others during WL or Rivals.
I honestly don't care really....But not sure how they can justify doing that when it clearly does impact way more than they think.
They give a PIM Gullit to some minor second league footballer and he plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who then matches against me in WL. That's affecting me ffs.
Isn't that the 99 version of pro players & things like that? I don't have any issue with that tbh, such a small percentage. Plus you can bet pro players can buy any player they want in the first few weeks, they ain't on our budgets 😂
No, I've seen pro players and other athletes get given icons and high rated special cards before.
They mention it in their response but becaue it only amounts to 0.0006% of players in the game mode, they don't think it matters. It shouldn't amount to 0.0000000000% if they want to assume it didn't matter.
For people promoting the game & suchlike would get perks, I'm sure that's the same with everything. Mercedes employees get cheaper cars, at my work I get discount PC or electronic goods.
Half the problem is the game is so competitive now & taken so seriously that people actually think 0.0006% makes a difference directly to them.
I don't care, like I said. I'm more trying to be devil's advocate than anything...
However, if you worked for Mercedes and got a cheaper car than regular people then that's not comparable to this situation which is a competitve game. With a Mercedes car, you just have a nicer car irl.
yeah, can't compare tangible goods for a virtual card that has a 9 month life cycle, even less actually given how late PIM's are released
I think the issue is more related to the pathetic drop rates
If only 10 PIM Pele get added to the game during a non promo week and 4 of them are free gifts it’s actually quite a big difference
They didn’t address the root of the problem though which is accessibility and availability of these super rare Moments 🙄
Also didn't mention if them being given out to these accounts effected drop rates for the icons in packs.
Presume not, but who knows how it all works on their side.
Yes they did. Don't get me wrong EA sucks and it's your typical PR statement but they did address
"These grants have no impact on the odds of any player in the ecosystem acquiring these players - they have no bearing on the overall volume of available content, and all content that is granted is untradeable, with no associated coin value."
This part of the statement is on the players that they grant to pro's etc, no? Not necessarily on the players that were placed in accounts via the black market.
Just seems suspicious that they have nothing in place that flags that so many PIM R9's are in accounts.
I'm probably overthinking it though. Why would EA bother to check ❤️❤️❤️❤️ like that really.
Rated E For Everyone.
Comments
https://www.ea.com/games/fifa/pitch-notes/news/fifa-21-player-item-investigation-update?utm_campaign=fifa21_hd_ww_gam_socs_twt_fifa21-pitchnote-article&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&cid=68002&ts=1615596811289&isLocalized=true
Nice PR piece from EA
"and in no way do we condone granting or purchasing player items in exchange for money"
laughable.
$2600 AUD
The people that spent that much probably have some $$$ lying around to go again probably. Tbh if I was smart and the moment I see this new, I would immediately go on coin selling sites to get rid of everything as fast as possible.
(not suggesting it is a good idea for anyone to buy or sell coins btw)
I honestly don't care really....But not sure how they can justify doing that when it clearly does impact way more than they think.
They give a PIM Gullit to some minor second league footballer and he plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who plays somebody who then matches against me in WL. That's affecting me ffs.
Why would they, not really sure what is wrong with what they have said?
We already knew pros got special cards and they've given away icons as prizes in their streams before
Also didn't mention if them being given out to these accounts effected drop rates for the icons in packs.
Presume not, but who knows how it all works on their side.
This game mode is rotten to the core and needs a complete overhaul.
Also, if we don't get a Flashback Grigg with a Will Grigg's on Fire Goal Song, I'm going to be extremely disappointed.
Isn't that the 99 version of pro players & things like that? I don't have any issue with that tbh, such a small percentage. Plus you can bet pro players can buy any player they want in the first few weeks, they ain't on our budgets 😂
People weren't purchasing them from EA, they did the same with coin buying. Buying specific players would create a much bigger PTW scenario, at least the way it is now, even £0 spenders can get lucky
No, I've seen pro players and other athletes get given icons and high rated special cards before.
They mention it in their response but becaue it only amounts to 0.0006% of players in the game mode, they don't think it matters. It shouldn't amount to 0.0000000000% if they want to assume it didn't matter.
Yeah because it helps market the game so of course EA will give them perks
Yes they did. Don't get me wrong EA sucks and it's your typical PR statement but they did address
"These grants have no impact on the odds of any player in the ecosystem acquiring these players - they have no bearing on the overall volume of available content, and all content that is granted is untradeable, with no associated coin value."
Oh of course, this scenario hurts their bottom line, well not hurts, but can have an impact dependent on how many people are actually out there that did this
0.0006% might seem small just looking at it, but i bet it's a significant number. absolute shambles. they've only been forced to make so many public updates in the space of a week because this issue has been reported by some of the press which gained traction online
there's a reason why people have been forced to buy these moments players on the "black market" as we all have said, and they refuse to acknowledge that
For people promoting the game & suchlike would get perks, I'm sure that's the same with everything. Mercedes employees get cheaper cars, at my work I get discount PC or electronic goods.
Half the problem is the game is so competitive now & taken so seriously that people actually think 0.0006% makes a difference directly to them.
flashback will grigg to that time stewart donald paid 3m for him when 1m was their maximum valuation
Bags does not rest........ Ever 😂
Gotta get those edits out.
Ive just been baited in to giving a free like and I ain’t even mad
I don't care, like I said. I'm more trying to be devil's advocate than anything...
However, if you worked for Mercedes and got a cheaper car than regular people then that's not comparable to this situation which is a competitve game. With a Mercedes car, you just have a nicer car irl.
yeah, can't compare tangible goods for a virtual card that has a 9 month life cycle, even less actually given how late PIM's are released
If only 10 PIM Pele get added to the game during a non promo week and 4 of them are free gifts it’s actually quite a big difference
This part of the statement is on the players that they grant to pro's etc, no? Not necessarily on the players that were placed in accounts via the black market.
Just seems suspicious that they have nothing in place that flags that so many PIM R9's are in accounts.
I'm probably overthinking it though. Why would EA bother to check ❤️❤️❤️❤️ like that really.
That’s it now, nothing left in the club, need icon swaps to hurry up.