EA CEO Andrew Wilson has said that the new Preview Packs introduced in FIFA 21‘s Ultimate Team mode have been “well received by the community” and boosted sales.
As reported in PC Gamer, during an investors call on August 4, Wilson said that Preview Packs led to “an increase in engagement”, as well as “a higher rate of conversion of spenders.”
“It was coming down toward the end of the season, so some of this data has to be taken in that context, but the team is committed to continuing to innovate in and around the offers and the programs that we put together for our players, and believe that we can continue to grow that business over time,” he added.
The Preview Packs were introduced to Ultimate Team in June, allowing players to see what’s inside each pack before committing to a purchase. The change was made following pressure from various groups, including governments, children’s welfare groups, and gambling charities, as reports have shown links between loot boxes and gambling.
See before you decide with Time-Limited FUT Preview Packs. Learn how they work
https://t.co/Q6dpn7WZva pic.twitter.com/9dXzJDHII7
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) June 18, 2021
However, seeing what the contents of a loot box contain allows the user to make an informed choice on whether they want to commit to spending money. Ironically, it appears this is actually converting to higher sales for EA.
“What we saw with Preview Packs was, we saw a higher incidence of new players coming into Ultimate Team, and we saw a higher conversion of those new players in and around buying packs and participating in the digital ecosystem,” said Wilson.
“Our teams are going to continue to look for interesting, new, innovative and creative ways that allow people to more deeply engage, and Preview Packs is one of those examples.”
While these Preview Packs were introduced as a Time-limited initiative, it appears EA may make it a permanent feature, although there is not yet confirmation of it being rolled out for FIFA 22.
Elsewhere, an insider is reporting that PUBG might be going permanently free-to-play.
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