- EA Sports’ upcoming FIFA 21 will be available on the Steam digital storefront at launch for the first time.
- Gamers are trolling EA through a user-defined tag on the newly-published listing.
- EA has since scrubbed all traces of the offending tag.
Accompanying EA’s (Electronic Arts) announcement of yet another yearly iteration of the annual soccer franchise was news that FIFA 21 would be heading to Steam at launch.
That’s a first for the series. It mimics EA’s new strategy of opening up access to its games beyond the constrictive Origin game launcher.
To mark the occasion, EA has a newly-minted Steam listing for the game. Players can already drop $60 to pre-order FIFA 21. As with any listing, Steam also invites users to assign tags to the game.
Gamers Tag FIFA 21 as ‘Gambling’ On Steam
Not wasting any time, gamers took it upon themselves to offer one tag that might be just a tad too descriptive for EA’s liking.
Alongside expected tags like ‘Soccer,’ ‘Simulation,’ and ‘Sports,’ the listing displayed ‘Gambling’ for a short while. The tag is an overt reference to the micro-transactions and gambling mechanics that have become a stalwart of EA’s output.
Unsurprisingly, EA has already removed the ‘Gambling’ tag from the FIFA 21 listing. The publisher wouldn’t want a silly tag spoiling the surprise of new players discovering a game oozing with predatory micro-transactions and loot box-inspired card packs.
Setting aside the casual bigotry and rampant toxicity for a moment, it’s always a pleasure seeing gamers hold publishers accountable for past transgressions. And, as far as the worst offenders go, EA is top of the pile.
Inferior Version for PC
In other FIFA 21 news, EA revealed that the PC version is the same as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version. The news was unearthed in a newly-published FAQ over on the FIFA 21 website. It didn’t take long for eagle-eyed fans to pick up on the fact.
So, no next-gen upgrades or improvements. And this despite PCs arguably able to benefit from the new tech promised by EA with little to no strain on performance.
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