Although EA Sports have been claiming for years that there is no scripting in FIFA, fans disagree. Players are sure: the publisher dynamically adjusts the difficulty level in FIFA Ultimate Team and Madden NFL to sell more lootboxes. EA proved in front of courts though: there is no scripting in FIFA.
It is perhaps the biggest mystery of the FIFA series. Although the publisher has been defending itself against any accusations for years, fans were sure: EA Sports intervenes in FUT games with a dynamic adjustment of the difficulty level, the so-called "scripting", in order to sell more lootboxes. EA successfully proved in court that is not the case at all.
EA Sports and Scripting - Fair Play for FIFA, Madden NFL & NHL
FIFA scripting: you are 2:0 ahead in a match and suddenly nothing seems to work anymore. Passes don't find a teammate, all shots are missed and in the end you lose the match.
Scripting has been hovering over the FIFA series as a myth for many years, but other games such as Madden NFL or NHL with an Ultimate Team mode are also said to be affected. Although EA Sports keep insisting that such mechanics do not exist, gamers are not so easily dissuaded from the baseless claims.
Fact: EA Sports have filed a patent for a technology called "Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment" (DDA), which is deeply embedded in the code of sports games. In November 2020, three gamers sued the publisher over allegations of scripting - "unlawful difficulty adjustment" is the charge.
EA: "No Scripting in Our Games!"
EA Sports announced in a statement on their homepage that the charges have been dropped in court after they were forced to disclose how the DDA technology works. It states:
While EA does own a patent for DDA technology, that technology never was in FIFA, Madden or NHL, and never will be. We would not use DDA technology to give players an advantage or disadvantage in online multiplayer modes in any of our games and we absolutely do not have it in FIFA, Madden or NHL. EA and the FIFA, Madden and NHL teams remain committed to fair play.
EA Sports can put this accusation to bed for now and focus on the ongoing legal disputes over lootboxes and gambling mechanics.
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Original article by EarlyGame's Philipp Briel.
