FIFA 22 is out in the wild, and in gameplay terms it's going down well. But, as anyone who's read Eurogamer's review will know, we still have a few problems with how it's monetised. Specifically, the hugely-popular Ultimate Team mode and its controversial loot boxes.
Ultimate Team, which drives hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for publisher and developer EA each year, revolves around the idea of building a squad of players, which you then use to play in matches, both offline and online.
There are a number of ways you can obtain players in the game, but one of the main methods is through packs of virtual cards. These card packs contain a random assortment of items, including players of varying potency you then use out on the pitch. Generally, the better the player, the lower your chance of obtaining them from a pack. Although they're not described as such in-game, Ultimate Team's card packs are loot boxes.