A new conspiracy theory is gripping the FIFA 23 Ultimate Team community, with secret injuries found within the game.
This isn't the first time we've seen rumours flying about regarding hidden mechanics within the game this year, with this one giving further weight to an argument that said EA nerfed players surreptitiously.
Find out about the secret injury event in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team below...
Ultimate Team Secret Injury
Earlier in the year there was a conspiracy circulating in the FIFA 23 Ultimate Team community that EA was nerfing cards, as many people reported players getting worse over time.
No proof was found to back up that thinking - until now!
First brought to our attention by @Quick_RageEAFC on Twitter, they posted the following:
If you use the FUT Web App or Companion App, go to the 'Player Bio' and then 'Attributes', you will find a 'Status' section which informs you of any injury that card may have.
However, some players are carrying injuries even though it isn't shown with a symbol on their card image and won't appear if you look via console!
We tested this ourselves and can confirm that the information stated in the Tweet is true.
This has been backed up by many other FUT users reporting the same problem, also supplying screenshots as proof.
@Quick_RageEAFC has dubbed it "The Neymar Principle" and believes this could be the reason why players often feel a card suddenly becomes worse to use in-game.
Nerf Discovered?
The theory (or multiple theories) that there is some sort of built-in obsolescence for Ultimate Team cards in FIFA 23 was raised earlier this year.
Many users reported feeling certain cards suddenly weren't playing as well in-game as they had been, with Angel Di Maria's World Cup Team of the Tournament SBC item heavily referenced.
Theories on what this could be included:
- While a player's SBC is live, that card performs better in-game
- When a player's SBC expires, that card performs worse in-game
- After a set amount of games, ANY player has a drop off in quality
- Once a promo is over, the players from it perform worse in-game
However, the issue with all of this was that there was no proof to back up any of it.
"The Neymar Principle" not only offers a reason why you may feel a drop-off in the ability of your cards but also substantial proof from multiple sources that there are hidden injuries in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team!
EA Speaks on Secret Injury
With the news about the secret injury issue in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team spreading, some took to the EA forums to report it.
One Twitter user uploaded this screenshot with an apparent response from EA regarding the problem:
In it, the problem is stated to be "most likely a visual issue", meaning it would have no effect on in-game performance.
The Web App team will be informed to try and resolve it, yet this won't be the end of the story for many FUT fans.
Trust between EA and the community isn't the strongest, with a lot of people likely to believe in nerfed card theories even if EA denies them.