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Ultimate Team, commonly referred to as FUT, is one of the main modes of the EA FC series.<\/p>\n
Players can spend money on virtual card packs containing a random selection of star footballers to build a dream squad.<\/p>\n
It is possible to trade the cards and build up in-game “coins” without using real money, but it is generally seen as a slower and less effective way to play.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year The Pan-European Game Information body (PEGI), announced it was overhauling its age-rating system<\/a> used in 38 countries including the UK. <\/p>\n It made the decision to brand any game containing so-called loot boxes – “paid random items” – as a PEGI 16 by default. <\/p>\n EA FC falls under the new rules due to the inclusion of FUT, earning it the higher rating. <\/p>\n Critics have compared FUT and similar modes in other games to gambling, with recent research finding they “blurred the lines”<\/a>.<\/p>\n Electronic Arts, the game’s publisher, has pushed back on the claims and stressed players don’t need to spend money to participate in FUT.<\/p>\n The UK government chose not to bring loot boxes under the Gambling Act 2005, external<\/span><\/a>, saying there was no evidence of a “causative link” to harms.<\/p>\n Despite the criticisms, FUT and other loot box-style modes remain popular.<\/p>\n According to EA’s latest financial report, , external<\/span><\/a>FUT was responsible for a “substantial portion” of the $5.5bn annual revenue it made from selling add-on content for its games.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n