The future of EA's flagship football/soccer franchise is already uncertain with the ongoing dispute with FIFA, but by no means is it dull.
With the scope for a game like FIFA 22 to become 'play to earn', fans will be excited to learn that NFTs and blockchain are in the minds of EA.
"The future of our industry"
Earlier in the week, EA CEO Andrew Wilson spoke about NFTs and blockchain during the company's earnings call, dubbing them and 'play to earn' games "the future of our industry" as reported by PC Gamer.
"I think that in the context of the games we create and the live services that we offer, collectible digital content is going to play a meaningful part in our future," said Wilson.
"It's still early to tell, but I think we're in a really good position, and we should expect us to kind of think more innovatively and creatively about that on a go-forward basis."
EA has not entered into the world of NFTs, blockchain, or crypto just yet, but there is certainly a chance that they will sooner rather than later.
Found in their recent job listings are descriptions that include NFTs and blockchain, so we know that EA are on the lookout for people in the know!
One job listing also reads "We set the pace for EA's investment in gaming subscriptions, our PC storefront and platform, competitive gaming (including FIFA, Apex Legends, and Madden NFL), as well as new business opportunities, including fantasy sports, blockchain and NFTs, and more."
How would it work?
As Wilson said, it is still very early stages and almost impossible to tell exactly how NFTs will be introduced to a game like FIFA 22.
Play to earn games often require an up-front payment in a cryptocurrency of some form or another, which could prove a stumbling block for the vastly popular games EA produces.
However, the opportunities that this would provide is for players to collect unique items of which the value increases, and can in turn be sold on to other players.
For example, SBC cards in FUT 22 could be 'numbered', meaning the first player to complete the challenge would be in possession of the first issued card.
This could potentially be highly sought after and even lucrative if players are keen for the first or a certain number.
Not the first
EA is not the only major gaming company to acknowledge the potential future of NFTs and blockchain in the world of gaming.
Ubisoft and Epic have also embraced them, with Ubisoft, in particular, announcing a plan to develop blockchain games in their own earnings call.
However, not everyone has welcomed the potential changes with open arms.
Mega gaming platform Steam has banned blockchain games from its platform, banning any "applications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow the exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs."