Over the past decade, EA has received tons of criticism for its monetization practices. From Battlefront 2's over the top loot box mechanics to extensive microtransaction in sports games like Madden 21 and FIFA, EA has done it all. However, this time EA topped even their previous mess-ups.
EA added in-game ads to their fighting game UFC 4. The ads were added after all the reviews were released so that EA could dodge criticism. Several players received ads about Amazon’s The Boys web series when playing recently. The ads have been inserted during replays and cover the whole screen.
Players didn’t take kindly to this move. The controversial move by EA created a massive outcry that forced the company to remove the ads. The fact that this happened near the launch of Madden 21 did not help. Even Madden 21 received criticism for microtransactions and lack of new content. Madden 21 currently has an outrageously low user rating on Metacritic of 0.2 out of 10.
EA said in a statement to Eurogamer that they understood player feedback and claimed that the ads will not be reappearing in the future.
“It is abundantly clear from your feedback that integrating ads into the Replay and overlay experience is not welcome. The advertisements have been disabled by the team and we apologize for any disruption to gameplay that players may have experienced,” EA's statement to EuroGamer said. “We realize that this should have been communicated with players ahead of time and that's on us. We want to make sure our players have the best possible experience playing EA Sports UFC 4, so ad integration in the Replay and overlay experience will not be reappearing in the future. Thank you for your continued feedback on EA Sports UFC 4.”
In-game ads have mostly existed in free mobile games. However, UFC 4 is a proper AAA title that costs $60. Players don’t want to spend money to just look at the ads.
So what do you think? Have you been playing UFC 4? What do you think about in-game ads? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
