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Hackers Skew FIFA Ultimate Team Numbers?
Is EA's touted revenue success with these online microtransactions a big win for the company or simply an own goal against its customers?
During its third-quarter financial call, Electronic Arts bragged about the success of microtransactions for FIFA 12's Ultimate Team mode, saying that the company expects 25 percent more revenue to be generated by the mode by the end of this fiscal year as compared to FIFA 11.
While the mode is undoubtedly fun to play, EA and gamers have been dogged by widespread reports that hackers are hijacking Xbox Live accounts and then buying FIFA 12 Ultimate Team packs.
Both Microsoft and EA have shrugged off the claims, either saying that it's a small number of the overall transactions, or that they are not ultimate responsible for what's going on.
Either way, it's hard not to view EA's revenue claims with some skepticism.
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