Review Bombing on Steam
EA Sports College Football 27, released today for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, has been hit with immediate review bombing on Steam. The majority of player reviews are overwhelmingly negative, with even positive reviews highlighting the microtransactions as a major downside. Fans are revolting against the inclusion of pay-to-win mechanics in offline single-player modes.
Microtransactions in Single-Player Modes
In the game's Dynasty and Road To Glory modes, players can adjust how much experience they earn from matches, but this now requires spending money on College Football Points. Previous entries allowed this adjustment for free. One user, Stu Piddazz, wrote: 'Take microtransactions out of single player modes. No season passes, no payment for upgrades, this is disgusting behaviour.' Another, ChrisPBacon, said: 'Was really looking forward to this. College Football! Finally on PC! Then, I saw that EA introduced pay-to-win in single player game modes! Yeah, absolutely not. I'm returning this.'
Influencer and Developer Backlash
YouTuber Bordeaux, who is partnered with EA and received early access, posted a video criticizing the microtransactions. He stated he was never told about them and only discovered them during early access. 'You can't just sneak microtransactions in, have us creators super excited to play the game, say nothing about it in Chicago, and just expect this to be cool. Expect us to all be so excited and happy about the game still,' said Bordeaux. Anonymous sources within EA told Insider Gaming that development team members are equally 'livid' about the microtransactions.
EA Unlikely to Reverse Course
Despite the backlash, sources suggest EA is unlikely to remove the microtransactions. One source stated: 'A band-aid might be put out to make people happy in the short term, but additional costs for players are going to be added moving forward. It'll all just have the messaging of, 'Well, you don't have to spend the money if you don't want to.'' This echoes EA's stance on Star Wars: Battlefront 2, which eventually led to the removal of loot boxes after fan protest.
Game Quality Overshadowed
Many reviewers note that the game itself is solid. User finger wrote: 'It sucks to give this a negative review, because gameplay wise, depth wise, and presentation wise, this is the best College Football game to date. But, EA had to go and ruin it.' CorruptSleet concurred: 'Probably the best Dynasty and Road To Glory have ever been and it's all overshadowed by EA's biblical greed.' The hashtag #CFBPlayDontPay, originating from Bordeaux, has been used in many reviews.
Implications for Future EA Sports Games
The controversy does not bode well for other EA Sports titles. EA Sports FC 27, expected later this year, may launch with even more microtransactions than usual. The situation highlights ongoing tensions between monetization and player satisfaction in sports video games.
