EA Sports FC 27 Rated PEGI 16 Over Loot Boxes
EA Sports FC 27 has been rated PEGI 16 in Europe, a sharp jump from the PEGI 3 rating carried by EA Sports FC 25 and earlier entries in the series. PEGI has widened its criteria with new 'interactive risk' categories covering purchases of in-game content, paid random items, communication features and features that incentivise players to keep playing.
Connor Hindle, policy manager of the UK's Games Rating Authority, said in a LinkedIn post reported by GamesIndustry.biz that the UK administrator of PEGI has begun applying the updated criteria to selected existing digital products as well as new submissions. PEGI first announced the changes in March, and newly submitted games have been assessed under them since June.
As a result, any game with loot boxes is now rated PEGI 16 by default. The FC 27 listing carries a detailed breakdown of its purchase options, including FC Points, a Season Pass and player packs.
North America's ESRB is not following. A representative said in March that adding non-content related features to its rating process could confuse parents, and FC 27 remains rated E (Everyone) with notes on user interactions and in-game purchases.
The rating applies to the whole EA Sports FC 27 product, including Clubs, so Pro Clubs players in Europe fall under the same rating.
Source
PC Gamer
