EA seemingly ends gambling on EA FC pack openings in South Korea

Video game loot boxes have been a hot topic around the globe in recent years, with some regarding them as a gateway to gambling for those not of age to actually do so in the real world.

EA FC, formerly FIFA, games have been close to the core of the arguments since these titles have low age ratings to purchase them yet offer the ability to buy ‘packs’, giving you the chance to secure highly desirable players.

Now, it seems that EA could have given up on trying to navigate some loot box laws around the world by completely cutting off South Korea from being able to purchase those aforementioned packs.

This info comes from the Steam listing of EA FC 26, in conjunction with a post on Ruliweb, both pointing toward the Ultimate Edition of the game not even being available for purchase, likely due to its accompanying FC Points. These FC Points are the digital currency that can be bought with real cash, which can then be used to purchase various packs with players inside.

In Korea, there are rules around these types of loot boxes, requiring specific probabilities to be stated. While some probabilities are shared in the pack information, certainly not all the specifics can be seen.

Here is what the Korean law says in relation to loot boxes:

Article 2 (Definitions)

The terms used in this Act are defined as follows:

“Loot box” refers to a game item purchased directly or indirectly with monetary payment by the user [including game items obtained by combining purchased and free items] whose specific type, effect, or performance is determined by random factors.

Enforcement Decree [Annex 3-2]

Required disclosures

Depending on the nature and method of the loot box, the following information must be disclosed. If a single loot box falls under multiple categories, all applicable items (including those designated by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism pursuant to Article 19-2(1)2 of the Act) must be disclosed.

a. Loot boxes that provide other items upon purchase or use, where the type, grade, or performance of the items is determined by chance: The drop rates of all possible items by type, grade, and performance must be disclosed.

b. Loot boxes that change the type, grade, or performance of an existing item based on random results: All probability information for possible changes must be disclosed.

c. Loot boxes that synthesize multiple items to yield a new item with different type, grade, or performance based on random outcomes: All probability information for every possible synthesis result must be disclosed.

Based on this, it appears that EA is having extreme trouble on how to implement the requirements to ensure no rules are broken. That isn’t to say changes aren’t made to do so in later games, but EA FC 26 will definitely have any loot box features removed.

It is unfortunate for those South Korean EA FC fanatics out there since a big portion of the game has essentially been cut, but going off the price of these packs in past titles, at least it’s more money in the back pocket to be used elsewhere.