Fifa Ultimate Team: EA address controversial new price ranges

EA Sports has addressed recent changes to pricing in Fifa 15's Ultimate Team, and the backlash from numerous angry fans. The move was made to combat illegal coin farmers and sellers and "level the playing field" for all players.

"FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) should be fair and fun for every player," reads their blog post. "What are we trying to achieve with these changes? It's simple – we want to keep the game fair and secure for everyone, and ensure a level playing field for all FUT fans."

Ultimate Team is the wildly popular game mode, introduced in Fifa 13, which tasks people with building teams of players which come in the form of tradeable cards unlocked from packs which can be earned and purchased. Players not needed can be sold in the game's online market for coins, the game's currency which can be used to purchase packs and players.

"To accomplish this," continues the blog, "We have to root out the activities of coin farmers and cheaters who are harming your experience with the game. These exploiters generate coins illegitimately in the FUT economy through the use of bots and phishing scams, creating a flood of fraudulent in-game currency and driving up the cost of players on the Transfer Market."

Price ranges were introduced which vary from Xbox to PlayStation to PC depending on the intricacies of those platforms' individual economies. EA also took down access to the transfer market through the web and companion apps, which they say was being exploited by farmers. They hope to have access back online "as quickly as possible".

Fifa Ultimate Team has proven a huge money-spinner for EA on top of the annual success of the game it forms a part of. The mode will undoubtedly return in Fifa 16 later this year.