Write down the following term because it is very likely that we will hear it more than once in the coming months. Electronics Arts has been accused of using “Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment”, an automatic mechanism that, according to the lawsuit, would lead to pressure on users to buy envelopes. Is this true?
The pressure of always wanting to win
If you play FIFA 21, Madden NFL 21 or NHL, you will know what we are talking about. In FIFA, in modes like Ultimate Team, there are times when achieving victory becomes absolutely frustrating, as there are matchups that are completely unbalanced. What does that player do with a squad of legends with Pelé 98 if I have Morales as a killer in the area?
These details have angered many users, so much so that a group has decided to initiate a class action lawsuit that has been filed in the US District Court for Northern California. The protest points out that both FIFA, Madden NFL and NHL make use of what they call Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment, and assure that it has been used since the 2017 editions.
A hidden function?
The plaintiffs point out that EA uses this technology without notifying the user, and in the end it forces them to buy envelopes to get better players that allow them to compete better against adversaries. According to them, the system does not assess the level of the player when it comes to matching them with others of the same level, and in the end they make the user believe that their team is not as competitive as it really is, hence they encourage them to buy packs to test and try to win a star.
All of this is supported by the California Consumer Legal Resources Act, the False Advertising Act and the Unfair Competition Act, ensuring that these mechanics violate all these laws.
EA defends itself and denies everything
As expected, EA has been quick to reply, and through a response to GamesIndustry, they assure that the claims of this group “are unfounded and misrepresent our games, and we will defend ourselves.” It is important to remember that the company is already moving through several lawsuits in different countries for its use of loot boxes in the form of envelopes of player cards, so all this would only enlarge the problem considerably.
The most curious thing is that in 2017 a patent application registered in the name of the company revealed a system based on an algorithm that would be in charge of matching the players looking for a very similar objective to the one posed by the demand for Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment, So who knows if all of this will bring more trouble than we might think. And you, have you ever thought that those pairings that you get are unfair?
