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EA Sports Comments On FIFA Ultimate Team Chem Glitch
A user has found and demonstrated a glitch in FIFA 16's Ultimate Team mode that throws into question the performance – and therefore value – of some cards in the popular, monetized fantasy mode.
User RighteousOnix posted a video on YouTube recently demonstrated the ineffectiveness of chemistry style boosts on cards that are not day-one FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) cards. Thus, cards that have come out since release – EA has released a variety of these player cards for transfers, position changes, man of the match and in-form designations, etc – do not perform better than the day-one FUT cards.
In the video RighteousOnix explains and demonstrates this using various FUT cards, using those players' ability or inability to perform a special dribble move that can only be performed by players with a dribble rating of 86 or higher. Another video posted by the user also calls into question the functionality of FUT cards' individual chemistry rating.
A fitness glitch involving day-one and non-day-one cards has also been found which EA is investigating.
Here is EA's official comment on the matter:
Thanks to the FUT community for raising awareness of a potential fitness and chemistry inconsistency in some FUT items. After hearing this, our teams were in over the weekend and continue to thoroughly investigate the information. We will keep you informed with updates from the investigation. Our commitment to a fun, fair and secure experience in FIFA is ongoing, and as a community your feedback helps us achieve that goal. A special thanks for your continuous efforts across all channels.
While EA does not outright admit that RighteousOnix's findings are true, the fact that it brought in its developers over the weekend to look at the situation shows that this is indeed a serious situation.
If this glitch is real, this would mean that the cards that users have been earning and paying real money for aren't as advertised. Ultimate Team is a big revenue source for the company and a major part of its monetization strategy.
We'll update you with more as we get it.
[Source: RighteousOnix YouTube, NepentheZ YouTube]
Our Take
User RightousOnix seems to demonstrate that this is real problem for the cards. Of course, whether this was intentional or an accident on EA's part is something we'll probably never know. However, I expect to see a class-action lawsuit pop up quickly on this matter. If EA can patch it quickly and avoid this is something for the lawyers to work out.
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