The always reliable EA FC leakers have revealed something we had feared for a while: the arrival of a Premium Season Pass in Season 7. Players will, obviously, have to pay for it, with the premium Season Pass containing many exclusive rewards.
In other words, EA FC has found a new way to introduce even more microtransactions into the game, add more content behind a pay wall, and make EA FC 25 and future games more pay-to-win.
This is incredibly disappointing, but not necessarily surprising, for two main reasons: leaks had already suggested that this was likely happening, and EA has implemented a similar system, known as the Premium Season Pass, on their Madden and NHL franchises.
It's a page taken out of the book of their biggest rivals, 2K Sports, who got that "idea" from games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends, among others.
On the surface, it might seem harmless, a non-consequential new feature that adds more content to the game. However, upon closer inspection, we see that's not the case, and that this "new feature" actually symbolizes something very important about the EA FC franchise, and not in a good way.
A Further Descent into the Microstranctions Hell
When you do something wrong, you might hear the expression "you made your bed, now lie in it." It means you should take accountability for your actions, especially bad ones.
Well, that expression changes slightly if you apply it to EA, going more like this: "We made our bed, now you are paying for it." Having this as the EA FC 26 slogan wouldn't be a bad idea, honestly.
EA FC 25 sales have underperformed. Even though the game started strong, its revenue and player base declined significantly two months after launch. This even impacted the company's share value, and played a factor in the $6 billion loss in market value that EA experienced in early 2025.
The best way to solve this is to add even more microtransaction elements to the game. And what's easier than adding a feature you have already implemented in your other sports franchises?
Fixing the game sounds great, but what they want is microtransactions! They did try to fix the game, and, as shocking as it seems, they actually managed to do it for about two weeks.
This only happened after the revenue loss was announced. A loss, according to EA CEO Andrew Wilson, that was mainly due to players staying in past franchise iterations during the holiday period and lower-than-expected engagement due to specific balance issues.
Basically, the gameplay was awful. Ultimate Team has never been as pay-to-win. You had a huge problem with hackers on PC, and to be honest, you still do. The power curve was also insane.
EA FC only acted on the massive wave of criticism about the game when it hurt their pockets, and don't get me wrong, that's not surprising, we all know how companies operate.
But after months of influencers, pro players, and casual players, the whole community, asking you to fix the servers, fix the gameplay, to get rid of the hackers that make cross-play unbearable, you decide to add a Premium Season Pass.
It's exhausting, disappointing, and sad for everyone who still had a glimmer of hope in this franchise. EA FC will likely continue to add more microtransactions, making it increasingly difficult for casual players to compete and enjoy the game without spending money.
Even those who spend money can be at a disadvantage, as if you play against a cheater on PC or cross-play, your 50 million coins teams will be worthless, with your R9 playing as well as a striker on a Sunday league team.
The community is rightfully angry at the inclusion of the Premium Season Pass, for all that it symbolizes. Well, most of it, at least. There are still a few trying to justify this addition and pretending that this isn't just EA trying to see what they can get away with and squeezing as much money from players as possible.
It's another nail in the EA FC coffin. The problem is that EA is a vampire, using the market to rest, as there is no one able to compete with them. So, when the day ends, EA just rises, ready to go at it again.