EA has won a key court case in Austria over whether loot areas should be classified as games.
The Higher Regional Court in Vienna concluded that the loot areas in FIFA 23 are not playable because the player in question did not purchase FIFA Utmost Crew packs with the intention of generating profit, but solely for in-game utility.
Then, when evaluating the Gambling Employment in Austria, the court ruled that since no financial possibilities are offered in this case, it is no longer considered a game of probabilities.
Furthermore, the court stated that the FIFA Ultimate Crew packs cannot be considered to be isolated from the game itself (FIFA), which is not a game of possibilities but a game of skill.
This is due to inconsistent results surrounding loot cases in Austria between lower courts. This is the largest court to have so far ruled on this issue in Austria, which EA believes is a “guidance framework.”
While other cases are being reviewed, the Higher Regional Court in Vienna is considering appealing to the High Court.
“This is a direction-setting decision of the Higher Regional Court in Vienna and follows similar first-instance decisions of other Austrian courts in recent months,” EA said in an observation.
“We design our games to provide choice, fairness, value and fun, and we are pleased with the court’s findings that FUT packs are not games of chance and that players generally purchase them not for profit, but simply as part of the game.
“EA continues to believe that optional in-game purchases, when done correctly, play an important role in giving players the option to choose how they want to participate in a game. This decision correctly recognizes that spending is always optional, and the “Most players choose not to spend at all.”
EA also added that it welcomes the news that the Netherlands’ Higher Administrative Court also decided that FIFA Ultimate Team no longer represents play under Dutch regulation.
