EA introducing preview packs in FIFA 22 from launch

Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that a feature called Preview Packs is going to be in the upcoming FIFA 22 from launch. The feature allows players to see what will be in the game’s loot boxes prior to purchasing them, meaning there’s a decent chance for any player to see what they’re about to pay for.

Preview Packs was trailed in FIFA 21 and EA says that it was a success there, which is why it’s now coming to FIFA 22 so early. EA clearly outlines what these packs are, stating that you can clearly see what you’re about to purchase before you buy it with FUT Coins or FIFA Points.

These Preview Packs will be offered alongside the game’s more traditional packs. They will be the only packs that you can see inside prior to purchase, with the chances of getting better cards and items in other packs potentially being better due to the nature of Preview Packs vs. every other pack in the game.

From launch, players will see a Premium Gold Pack available as a Preview Pack for 24 hours. The pack will refresh after that time and contain different items for players to pick up. There will also be a Premium Silver Pack available for preview on the same basis.

EA introduced FIFA Playtime, a tracker to show players how much time they’d spent in the game and how much money they’d spent as well. This feature was introduced after the company came under fire for its addictive FIFA Ultimate Team Mode that’s designed to get players to spend cash on new cards.

However, research shows that 78 percent of players never spend money on the cards in the game. Nine out of ten packs are actually earned instead of purchased, but there are still players who buy obscene amounts of cards. They’re known as whales because they’re giant cash cows that developers rely on for just this reason.

FIFA’s loot boxes have been banned in several countries due to the similarity to gambling that they represent. It’s likely that these Preview Packs are an effort from the company to work around those bans by offering a guaranteed reward in exchange for money if players want to pick it up.