EA Sports added a new feature to FIFA 21 Ultimate Team today that allows players to see what’s inside a FUT pack before they buy one.
The tool, called Ultimate Team Preview Packs, let you see all of the items contained in a FIFA 21 Ultimate Team loot box, which may help many players decide whether they want to spend their FUT coins, the game virtual currency, or buy FIFA points, the currency used exclusively to buy packs or FUT Draft entries.
To preview what’s inside a FUT pack, all you have to do is press X (PlayStation controller) or A (Xbox controller) when you’re in the FIFA 21 Ultimate Team store. This will start a pack opening animation and you’ll see all the items contained in that pack. If you want to buy it, all you have to do is press X/A again to do so.
Although you don’t have to buy it once you use the preview, FIFA 21 Ultimate Team won’t let you use the feature again on the same type of pack for 24 hours. As you can see in the screengrab below, there’s a time counter above the pack that will only reset if you buy it or after the 24 hours have passed.
The Ultimate Team Preview Packs feature is only valid for packs that are directly obtained from the FIFA 21 Ultimate Team store. The packs you can obtain by completing objectives and squad-building challenges (SBCs) or from Division Rivals or FUT Champions rewards won’t have the preview tool, according to EA.
You won’t necessarily have to buy the pack right after the preview, EA noted. The option to buy it will be there as long as the preview is still active, which can be affected by the so-called “lightning rounds” where EA puts a limited number of certain packs on sale, usually when there’s a FIFA 21 Ultimate Team promo active.
This is one of the most significant changes EA has made to FIFA Ultimate Team since the game mode was created in 2009. The change comes amid increasing pressure from governments, mostly European, about the relation between loot boxes and gambling. FIFA Ultimate Team is part of ongoing investigations into the impact of loot boxes, particularly on children.
EA claimed in the past that Ultimate Team’s packs don’t constitute gambling, but it’s aware that if the governments act to ban loot boxes, it would affect the monetary success of FIFA Ultimate Team. FIFA loot boxes are already banned in some countries, such as the Netherlands and Belgium.
It’s unclear if the preview feature will be enough to diminish the pressure from governments and how it’ll affect the sale of FIFA points in the future. The FIFA community seems to approve of the change so far, though.
