EA has announced the changes they were making to the “FUT Player Experience”, but with some key areas of concern from FUT 15 addressed, We’d delve a little deeper into the changes and their potential impact on FIFA 16 Ultimate Team.
The highlights:
- Price Ranges are now wider. Up to 90% greater than FUT 15.
- New players will need to login on console/PC first, before they can access the web and mobile apps.
- Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC now have separate Transfer Markets.
- A default platform must be chosen for Web and Mobile apps.
The ever controversial topic of FIFA Coins Price Ranges which made their rocky debut mid-cycle in FUT 15. And to be honest, I think that was the problem. Price Ranges as an idea were sound, but implementing them in an already distorted landscape was never going to be smooth sailing. EA probably thought things would settle down within a few weeks, but months later people were still feeling the pain.
But as I said, the idea of Price Ranges was still a good one and at the time we stressed that in a clean environment like the start of FUT 16, they had the potential to work well. Today’s news of wider Price Ranges only cements that theory because the now increased ranges should allow for much needed trade freedom, whilst still enforcing an appropriate level of control. A 90% margin above and below the median player price should leave plenty of room for honest profit.
EA were never going to ditch Price Ranges, but they certainly weren’t going to be able to sustain the sheer volume of updates and tweaks needed to run the current model either. Expanding Price Range breadth seems to be the most controlled, and sensible way to solve the “extinct players” problem. But just like last year, if and when issues do arise, it will be the speed in which EA respond that will more than likely determine the success of Price Ranges in FUT 16.