With the eagerly awaited FC 25, EA Sports is opening a new page in the series, offering players a paid battle pass for the first time. This seasonal progression system, which was previously limited to free versions, can now be purchased for a fee to allow players to access more special and valuable rewards. This new Premium Battle Pass, which can be accessed by paying 500 thousand in-game Ultimate Team (UT) Coins or 9 FC Points, which is approximately £1000, aims to both crown players' progress in the game with more attractive rewards and create a nostalgic atmosphere with retro-themed cosmetic items. However, the most striking content of the system, the special Franck Ribery card, has ignited a heated and polarized debate within the gaming community.
EA Sports FC 25's Premium Battle Pass Has Divided Player Reactions
The Premium Battle Pass, which was made available to players as of April 24, consists of a total of 40 different tiers, each of which offers various rewards. These rewards include tradable player packs, season point boosts, player development items, and nostalgic retro-themed cosmetics. However, the most striking and controversial content among all these rewards was the 96-rated Immortal Icon Franck Ribery card, which won the hearts of football fans with its legendary career at Bayern Munich. This special card is only given to players who complete all 40 tiers by purchasing the paid battle pass.
EA Sports states that this new paid system aims to enrich the player experience and provide them with more valuable content, but the reactions of the player community, especially on social media platforms, are sharply divided. Some players argue that the high value of the Ribery card offered and the total of other content that can be earned throughout the battle pass justify the cost of the paid pass. In particular, the coin return that can be obtained from tradable player packs is thought to balance the system and provide return on investment according to some players. On the other hand, the fact that such a highly rated player card, which is exclusive to players who purchase the paid pass and could potentially affect the balance of the game, is hidden behind a “paywall” is clearly described by a significant part of the community as “greed” and a “pay-to-win” mechanic.
Some users who reacted to this situation stated that the structure of the Ultimate Team game mode, which already encourages players to make significant expenditures, is aggravated by such paid content. Comments such as "If this Ribery card was a Squad Building Challenge (SBC), I'm sure everyone would be happy to spend 500 thousand coins", which are frequently seen on social media, indicate that players are actually reacting not to the content, but to the way to access this content and the pricing policy. EA Sports, on the other hand, stated that the system will not undergo any changes in its current state for now, but emphasized that they are open to player feedback. Players can convey any feedback about the system to the studio via EA Sports' official Discord channel and direct feedback portal.
On the other hand, EA Sports also made some important announcements about the future of the game and new platforms. In particular, regarding the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 version, it was stated that the Switch 25 versions of FC 2 and American football game Madden NFL will offer content and features as equivalent as possible to other console versions. While all these innovations and discussions give important signals that the EA Sports FC brand is evolving in a new direction, it will become clear in time how these radical changes will be received by the player community and how they will affect the future of the game in the long term.
