EA has stated that the Preview Packs that were briefly a part of FIFA Ultimate Team actually boosted sales.
As reported by PC Gamer, EA recently held an investors call where it talked about the financial success of its recent releases. Within that conversation was FIFA, where EA CEO Andrew Wilson discussed the newly introduced Preview Packs that were used for a limited time in Ultimate Team. Preview packs allow you to see what players will be in the pack before you buy them.
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Regarding Preview Packs, Andrew Wilson said, "We saw an increase in engagement, and we saw a higher rate of conversion of spenders. It was coming down toward the end of the season, so some of this data has to be taken in that context, but the team is committed to continuing to innovate in and around the offers and the programs that we put together for our players, and believe that we can continue to grow that business over time."
Wilson continued, "What we saw with Preview Packs was, we saw a higher incidence of new players coming into Ultimate Team, and we saw a higher conversion of those new players in and around buying packs and participating in the digital ecosystem. Our teams are going to continue to look for interesting, new, innovative and creative ways that allow people to more deeply engage, and Preview Packs is one of those examples."
Wilson is essentially saying here that by introducing Preview Packs and allowing players to see some of what they're going to get before they buy, it then encourages players to continue buying packs and getting involved in the systems, rather than leaving it all up to luck. It's a positive move for EA which, up until these preview packs, hasn't really shifted from loot boxes and gambling within Ultimate Team.
Whatever the case, it's looking like Preview Packs will continue to play some role in future FIFA titles, which wasn't a guaranteed thing before as they were only in the game for a limited time.
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