Evolutions promises the possibility to shape club legends yourself in EA SPORTS FC 24’s Ultimate Team. However, the deep-dive article raises eyebrows: Does the innovation include a pay-to-win factor?
Thanks to Evolutions, EA SPORTS says it will be the year when you can “finally build your Ultimate Team”. However, does this new opportunity for the popular mode literally come with a price? The deep-dive article on innovation in EA SPORTS FC 24 clarifies that some evolutions will also come with “Coins or Coins/Points requirements”. In other words, some evolutions could involve the use of real money;
Admittedly, the wording suggests that it will always be possible to pay with coins – i.e. without real money. However, the option to purchase individual evolutions with points alone raises questions. Will EA SPORTS put the best developments behind the pay barrier? Should this be the case, the well-known pay-to-win issue could quickly come up again. Those with greater financial resources could unlock the most powerful upgrades.
Each evolution has its own requirements
The developer has not yet specified the exact nature of the “Coins or Coins/Points requirements”. Accordingly, for the time being, there is only the suspicion. “We want to ensure that the upgrade paths of the Evolutions in Ultimate Team are balanced,” EA SPORTS cites as an additional explanation.
After all, there will definitely be “a selection of Evolutions available for free” at the start of each season. However, this does not mean that all player cards in Ultimate Team can also become part of the new feature. The options will be limited depending on the evolution. “Evolve a Silver Player” and “Evolve a Left Defender with Three Star Skill Moves” are given as examples by the publisher.
Each evolution is given a “set of levels” that can be achieved by completing challenges. The tasks range from “Play five games where you score with this player in the starting eleven” to “Win 20 Ultimate Team Champs games with this player”. Once all the level challenges are completed, upgrades are earned – and new levels are unlocked.
Possible upgrades come in many forms
The upgrades are manifold. The classic increase of the overall rating, but also the increase of individual attributes are possible. Furthermore, skill moves, weak foot, work rates, play styles as well as alternative positions can be “adjusted” according to EA SPORTS. In addition, new designs for the player objects can be unlocked. In the Deep Dive example, Gold Moukoko becomes a green special card with DNA strand in the background.
The developer’s goal is to keep the evolutions “fresh and updated” during the season. In other words, there should always be more ways to develop your own Ultimate Team squad. Some evolutions will only be available temporarily, others have to be started in a specific period of time. For this EA SPORTS announces a separate Deep Dive.
No player change within an evolution
In addition, the publisher presents the evolution cards as not for sale – they cannot be traded on the transfer market. The number of special objects in the team that have been or will be evolved is unlimited. However, only one player can actively undergo an evolution at a time. For this purpose, it is possible to interrupt the process at any time, switch to another professional and continue again later.
However, each evolution may only be contested by one card. If a player starts an evolution, no other professional can be used in his place. What does become feasible, however: If, for example, Moukoko’s gold object fulfils several requirements, fans can also complete several evolutions with the BVB talent – but this does not work in parallel.
