The second FGS Qualifier from the weekend has unleashed a big debate about the latest FIFA 22 patch – but also about the complaint culture in the scene.
On paper, Title Update 5 had delivered only one change: It increased the chance of a player retaining possession after successfully intercepting or blocking a low pass. In reality, however, the patch, which was only released for consoles on 8 February, seems to have had a more far-reaching impact on FIFA 22.
On the big eSports stage, the new gameplay was first revealed last weekend during FGS Qualifier 2. During the two days of the tournament, a number of professionals and amateurs had their say on social media – some of them were devastated by the new patch.
‘MoAuba’: “But it was all for nothing “
The title update is said to have buried FIFA 22, the current EA offshoot is hardly playable anymore. From the professional camp, the still reigning world champion Mohammed ‘MoAuba’ Harkous was among the loudest: “I’ve trained a lot, but it was all for nothing because two days before the tournament a patch comes out that makes everything different again.”
The FOKUS CLAN man did not mince his words. At the moment, he said, it is “very hard to be a FIFA eSports player – in a game you can’t train.” As a conclusion, the 25-year-old had a real reckoning with the EA title at the ready: “I think FIFA 22 will be the only game of all time that not a single professional in the world celebrates. “
Excuses for poor performance?
Even the community, however, was already highlighting in the comments that ‘MoAuba’ had complained massively about every FIFA offshoot since his 2019 World Cup title. Harkous is not the only professional to have expressed dissatisfaction around the FGS qualifier. Richard ‘RBLZ_GAUCHO’ Hormes, for instance, had called FIFA 22 “rigged”.
However, the massive wave of criticism also provoked a backlash: some players in the eSports scene felt the complaints were exaggerated and interpreted them as excuses for poor sporting performance. After all, all professionals had competed under the same conditions in the FGS qualifier.
‘Dr. Erhano’ sees boundaries crossed
“You don’t have to be an eSportsman and you can do another job. No one is forcing you!” tweeted Dennis Krüger, eFootball project manager at Hertha BSC. Former professional and kicker eSports columnist Erhan ‘Dr. Erhano’ Kayman also expressed a clear opinion: “The most annoying thing about the qualifiers is the whining and crying of the players.
And the expert added: “Some of the things I read here go beyond all limits.” Dr. Erhano’ did not fail to mention that he himself had often criticised FIFA games during his eSports career. The current extent, however, seems to be too much for him – as usual, official statements from EA SPORTS have not been forthcoming.
