Microtransactions have plagued the video game industry for some time, but no genre suffers more from them than sports games.
Almost every time you start a sports game, you are met with a pop-up ad that incentivizes you to spend money on microtransactions, to buy cards from a new promo, or a new Season Pass.
Playing online modes on an even field without spending money has become impossible in recent years. Every week, a new promo introduces fantastic cards, and if you don't pull your credit card out, you will be behind the curve.
If you plan to buy the game and don't spend any more money on it afterward, you will have a rough experience. You will be constantly at a disadvantage, which makes games more frustrating and less enjoyable.
However, microtransactions generate more money yearly despite the majority of the gaming community despising them. It's got to the point where some game modes look like casinos. Put your money in, pull the lever, and pray you get a good item.
This is killing sports video games for a couple of reasons.
All Sports Games are Pay-to-Win
In 2024, all sports games are pay-to-win, which has been the case for quite a while. While you can argue that some are less pay-to-win than others, all offer a way for players to gain an advantage by spending money.
FC 25 has packs; some evolutions can be unlocked with FC points. NBA 2K25 has packs and a Season Pass that holds exclusive rewards, and you can spend money to upgrade your MyPLAYER attributes.
Madden 25 and College Football 25 follow the same model as FC 25 and, to be honest, all the EA Sports titles. MLB The Show 24 also has microtransactions, mainly in packs.
These are just some games where microtransactions play a considerable role. When I say huge, I mean it, as some companies make billions on microtransactions alone.
Players need to spend money to be even remotely competitive in online modes. While they aren't forced to do so, many see it as the only way to be on a somewhat even playing field. Others have dreams of going pro, which is impossible if you follow the no-money-spent route.
Microtransactions are Pushing Players Away From Sports Games
No player wants to spend $70 on a game and then realize he will have to pay much more than that to be competitive in online modes, which are the most popular sports games.
Most players don't feel comfortable spending $50 a week or even $100 a month. The problem is that if they don't, they will fall behind, their cards will become obsolete, upgrading their teams will be incredibly hard, and the game will stop being fun.
While Fortnite or League of Legends offer players the ability to spend money on the game, that money can only be spent on cosmetics. There isn't anything you can buy in either game that will give you an in-game advantage.
However, if you want to spend $20 on one skin because it looks great, go for it. This is the big difference between sports games claiming to be competitive and actual competitive games.
One gives you the illusion of not needing to spend money on the game when you know that's not true, while the other lets you choose if you want to spend money on it or not.
Do you want to know the worst thing about this? All the money you spend on sports video games is useless after a year. A new edition is released, and you must start from scratch, leaving behind all the cards you spent hundreds of dollars on.
At least on Fortnite, League of Legends, or Call of Duty Warzone, I can use my skins forever. Well, unless the publishers shut down.
So not only do you have to spend money to be competitive, but all of that money will mean nothing in 12 months or less when a new edition is released. As you might imagine, most players aren't big fans of this model.
An Ocean of Content that Quickly Becomes Irrelevant
I've talked about how the money you spend on sports games becomes useless when a new edition is released, but sometimes it doesn't take that long.
Players often buy brand-new fantastic cards so that the best ones arrive at the game one or two weeks later. What does this incentivize players to do? Spend more money so they can get the new shining cards, so they can compete and not be behind the curve.
So, while sports games have much more content now than they did, say, 10 years ago, the quality of that content has drastically declined.
I don't want microtransactions in games, but I live in the real world and know that will probably never happen. However, does it have promos and cards that can be relevant for a good period, say three or four months, asking too much?
At least that way, you aren't just burning money, as the cards will be usable for a good period, making them 'worth' buying. Why will most casual fans spend a lot of money on a LeBron James or Mbappe card if a better card will be released in two weeks?
It doesn't make sense, but players are spending more money each year on microtransactions, so from a business standpoint, these companies don't see the need to change.
This leads to worse sports games overall since, regardless of whether the gameplay is terrible, the new features are lackluster, or the game modes aren't fun to play, players will still spend money on them.
It's a tricky problem with no easy solution, at least one that is realistic. Microtransactions will never entirely disappear from sports games, so the only thing we, as players, can do is speak with our wallets and hope for the best.