Several articles have been published about EA’s UFC 3 reporting misinformation relating to the game’s microtransactions. The system in UFC 3 reportedly has some elements of pay-to-win RNG in the Ultimate Team mode that favors those who pay or get lucky. The beta is currently available now for PS4 and Xbox One.
A lot of people are saying that EA hasn’t learned from Star Wars Battlefront 2, but that’s because this system in UFC 3 was pre-planned and is apart of the Need For Speed: Payback and Star Wars Battlefront 2 initiative, which can be traced back to previous EA Ultimate Team packs in other sports titles.
In other words, EA thought to make up an aggressive service campaign across various titles but didn’t expect such a backlash would spark from Star Wars Battlefront 2, and can’t really back track on it fast enough.
Now that the words “loot-boxes” and “microtransactions” are on every gamers’ radar, when the words came up that UFC 3 contains the two, all sorts of alarms went up. But what didn’t help EA and UFC 3 from the false reports and outrage was that they had the Ultimate Team mode, which features said controversial services, as featured in the beta.
So what does this all mean then? Well, it mean that all of the techniques, fighters, and abilities are said to be acquired and upgraded entirely through UFC 3‘s loot-box system when playing the Ultimate Team mode.
EA did not disclose this publicly, however they instead shipped the above information to IGN News via the video below:
That very video you just watched explaining the mode featuring the loot-box system and microtransaction system garnered a very warm welcome by gamers over on its YouTube channel:
That’s one nice looking lightsaber…
Moreover, I bet you are thinking “what does this Ultimate Team mode have to offer?” Thanks to express.co.uk, you can get the basic gist of the mode due to EA sharing with said site what’s at its core:
“Ultimate Team in EA SPORTS UFC 3 introduces more personalization, strategy, and collectibles.
For the first time, combine your customized create-a-fighter with real life UFC fighters like Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson to build your UFC Ultimate Team.
All-new Fighter Chemistry allows you to chase and pair specific moves that grant boosts to your fighter for a strategic advantage.
New Ultimate Team Solo Challenges feature dynamically-updated single-player gameplay challenges that unlock in-game rewards, while new Ultimate Team Sets allow you to collect thematic items and trade them in for items of higher value.
It’s all packaged in a more streamlined experience, with redesigned pack openings and visuals that make it easier than ever to build your very own Ultimate Team.”
Furthermore, we learn that the matchmaking is set to be “fair” according to a report that express.co.uk quoted courtesy of EA, as read below:
“Our matchmaking logic takes fighter attributes, moves, boosts, and perks into account and prioritizes matching players with similarly upgraded fighters in addition to player skill”.
“The goal is to prevent uneven matchups as much as possible. Furthermore, the game features Online Ranked Championships and unranked Online Quick Match for competitive and casual head-to-head online play.”
With all of that said, there’s no telling if EA will use its famous boilerplate of “keep on talking and we’ll keep listing” and slightly alter the system to be less “pay2win” in said mode or if they’ll keep the mode in UFC 3 exactly the same after the Star Wars Battlefront 2 debacle.
