EA Issues Statement Regarding UFC 3 Pay-To-Win Backlash

In recent weeks, it seems that the terms "microtransactions" and "pay-to-win" have become synonymous with Electronic Arts (EA). With the insane backslash and divided opinions surrounding Star Wars Battlefront II, to even the FIFA community beginning to speak up - the powerhouse publisher is in a lot of hot water with both gamers and other industry folk. When recent pay-to-win concerns arose regarding the upcoming EA Sports UFC 3 title, Beta players immediately rallied for a response.

Though many Beta players claim the upcoming sports title is blatantly pay-to-win, others are saying such claims are exaggerated - that's it's only in a certain mode. EA finally responded but their official statement does raise an interesting crossroads. If the microtransactions are there to make sure gameplay is balanced, why have them at all to create any sort of unbalance? Or why is the base game as it is seemingly unbalanced, at least when using their logic. Below is the official statement made by the publisher in a statement to IGN:

"There are no purchasable fighter upgrades that affect any other mode. Our matchmaking logic takes fighter attributes, moves, boosts, and perks into account and prioritizes matching players with similarly upgraded fighters in addition to player skill. The goal is to prevent uneven matchups as much as possible. Furthermore, the game features Online Ranked Championships and unranked Online Quick Match for competitive and casual head-to-head online play.

The beta is very helpful in tuning all aspects of our game, including Ultimate Team. We welcome constructive feedback, and thank everyone playing the beta for providing us with vital information to make the game as fun and engaging as possible for our fans."

Hopefully this go around won't be anything like the Star Wars mess. To get in on the pre-launch action yourself, you can learn more about the Beta period here. For now, UFC 3 is slated for a February 2nd, 2018 release.