Why did players call for EA FC 24 boycott over Ligue 1 TOTS?
The recent turmoil in the EA FC 24 community, particularly around the Ligue 1 TOTS (Team of the Season) event, has led to a call for the EA FC 24 boycott of the game. Despite the official launch of the Ligue 1 TOTS event, discontent among players has escalated, manifesting in the trending hashtag “#boycottEA” on social media platform X.
This EA FC 24 boycott movement gained momentum following a major incident on the evening of May 10, shortly after the event began, prompting many players to uninstall the game in protest.
Which incident sparked the "EA FC 24 boycott" outrage
The controversy centers around the Champions Finals rewards in EA FC 24. For a brief period, players were able to obtain exceptionally valuable cards, such as Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, from the Red Picks.
These Red Picks are rewards given to players who achieve a certain level of success in the highly competitive Champions Finals mode, requiring at least 9 wins out of 20 matches.
However, EA Sports soon announced via a tweet that the high-value rewards players were receiving were a mistake. The developers stated that the odds of obtaining such premium rewards had been altered to correct this error.
This announcement has infuriated many in the community, as it effectively confirmed that players did not intend to receive these top-tier rewards and should expect less valuable cards from their Champions Finals efforts.
The EA FC 24 boycott campaign is an outcome of EA Sports' history of mistakes
This incident however is not an isolated one. Earlier in January 2024, a similar uproar occurred when a glitched SBC (Squad Building Challenge) allowed some players to unlock Lionel Messi’s TOTY (Team of the Year) item.
EA Sports quickly removed the SBC, sparking widespread anger among those who missed out. The current situation with the Ligue 1 TOTS Red Picks is seen as a more significant blunder, reinforcing a perception that EA Sports manipulates reward odds to encourage players to purchase expensive store packs instead.
Glitches made the EA FC 24 boycott movement stronger
In response to this latest controversy, many content creators and players have joined a virtual protest, uninstalling the game and using the hashtag “#boycottEA” on social media.
This movement highlights frustrations with EA FC 24, beyond just the reward issues. Players have reported a plethora of problems, including bugs in the in-store packs, persistent server issues, and various gameplay glitches. These technical problems have strengthened the EA FC 24 boycott movement.
Players have encountered issues where store packs they purchased failed to deliver the promised contents, leading to lost FC Coins and a sense of betrayal.
Persistent connectivity problems have also plagued the game, resulting in disrupted matches and lost progress, which is particularly frustrating in a competitive environment.
Also, various bugs affecting gameplay mechanics, such as players not responding correctly to controls or unexpected in-game behavior, have marred the overall experience.
The call for a boycott is a culmination of these ongoing issues and the recent reward debacle. Players feel that EA Sports is prioritizing monetization over the quality of the gaming experience and fair reward distribution.
The EA FC 24 boycott movement continues to gain traction, with major content creators taking a stand and even some players going so far as to delete their entire squads in protest.
As the #boycottEA movement grows, it remains to be seen how EA Sports will respond. EA Sports faces a critical juncture where addressing these concerns transparently and effectively could either quell the unrest or further alienate its player base.