Ultimate Team modes have been a popular staple of EA's sports game franchises over the past several years, with FIFA Ultimate Team among the most popular of them. With the release of FIFA 22 only a little over a week away, EA Sports has been showing off more of the newest entry in the globally popular soccer franchise. With FIFA Ultimate Team a popular facet of the annual titles, EA Sports recently revealed that a popular feature introduced in FIFA 21, Preview Packs, would be available in FIFA 22 from the title's launch.
FIFA Ultimate Team has been a staple of the franchise since its introduction thirteen years ago in FIFA 09. FIFA was the first of EA's annual sports franchises to debut an Ultimate Team and, in the decade since, it has grown into an iconic part of EA's titles. Last year's title, FIFA 21, introduced Preview Packs earlier this year as purchaseable FIFA Ultimate Team packs which would allow players to see the pack's contents before buying. The feature was popular among fans of the Ultimate Team mode and EA recently announced its return in the upcoming FIFA 22.
EA recently announced that the popular Preview Packs added in FIFA 21 would be available in FIFA 22 from the game's launch on October 1. Preview Packs allow players to see all the items included in a FIFA Ultimate Team pack before choosing to purchase the pack with FUT Coins or FUT Points. Preview Packs will be added to the game alongside the game's standard packs, which do not allow previews of the pack's contents, with the Preview Packs being placed on 24 hour refresh timers. The Preview Packs will be available in all versions of the game on both current-gen and last-gen consoles.
Loot boxes like FIFA's Ultimate Team packs have been a touchy subject in the past for many gamers and developers. The uncertain nature of rewards from the player's purchases of packs and loot boxes often leads to association with gambling. EA, in particular, has come under fire several times in the past for its use of loot boxes across many of its titles including its several sports franchises and titles like Star Wars: Battlefront 2.
Ultimate Team modes have been a massively popular addition to EA Sports' annual franchises since their inception, appealing to both hardcore spenders and free-to-play players looking to grind their way to the top. Ultimate Team modes across the Madden NFL, FIFA, and NHL franchises reportedly netted over $1.6 billion in profits for EA throughout the fiscal year of 2021. While Ultimate Team may lend itself more to players looking to spend, there are plenty of budget-friendly options for those looking to build a competitive team without breaking the bank.
FIFA 22 will release on October 1 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz