EA investigating FIFA Ultimate Team scandal

An investigation is underway at EA after a series of screenshots revealed an alleged EA employee selling rare FIFA Ultimate Team player cards.

FIFA‘s Ultimate Team mode relies on these player packs–the mode enables players to build teams with any player from any team in any era. At the highest levels of competition, teams are stacked with legendary players. It’s one of the most popular modes in sports gaming, and highly ranked players spend thousands to stay competitive.

The allegations include the selling of Prime Icon Moment cards (PIM)–extremely rare cards that detail legendary moments in the real-life football player’s career.

Wins in the FUT mode give players coins, which can be traded in for more packs. Players can also trade cards between each other in a secondary market to generate value.

Directly selling these rare player cards that normally would come from pulls clearly breaks this loop that depends on chance as much as FIFA skill.

“We are aware of the allegations currently circulating within our community related to FIFA 21 Ultimate Team items,” the statement from EA reads. “A thorough investigation is underway, and if we identify improper conduct, we will take swift action.”