FIFA 21 to Add Tools to Curb Spending, Playing Time and More

In an era rife with concerns about in-game spending and predatory marketplaces, EA is actually taking steps to restrict how much time and money players can spend in FIFA 21.

According to Eurogamer, EA shared details about FIFA 21’s new “Playtime Tool” in a patch notes blog post, describing it as a “new suite of tools that enable players to have more control and visibility over how they play.”

The Playtime Tool essentially acts as a monitor for how many FIFA Points (but not real-world money) and playtime someone spends in-game, plus ways to watch out for communication issues and gating games by their ESRB rating.

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Players can set a limit on how many matches and FIFA Points you purchase, as well as how many FIFA Ultimate Team packs you can open with FUT Coins or FIFA Points.

There’s even some out-of-game functionality as well. The Playtime Tool can monitor how many FIFA Points you buy outside of the game (such as in the PlayStation Store) and count that towards your total. You’ll probably want to be extra careful though since you won’t receive a notification outside of FIFA.

The Playtime Tool is available on PC starting today and will be available on consoles on November 17. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-fifa-game-review-ever&captions=true"]

This is all part of EA’s Positive Play project, EA’s public-facing campaign to address toxicity and other harmful elements of the gaming community they cater to.

"Play should always be fun, so we're amping up the information and tools to help you play on your terms," EA told Eurogamer. "Back in June, we rolled out the Positive Play Charter - an updated set of community guidelines designed to make our games and services more inclusive, safe, balanced and fair. This is another step we're taking to make play more positive."

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Pay-to-win, loot boxes, and other gambling mechanics have become a huge sore spot for the games industry and various governments around the world. The UK government is running surveys of the gaming community on what they think about loot boxes, which will inform a review of the 2005 Gambling Act. Surveys are being accepted until November 22. England’s top mental health nurse has also criticized gambling mechanics in games like FIFA and others, calling for “fair and realistic spending limits” on loot boxes.

Earlier this year, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) announced a new label for its game ratings that describes if a game has loot boxes or other gambling mechanics. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

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