EA employee allegedly selling Ultimate Team cards for cash, spawning #EAGate hashtag

Shocking accusations.

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What you need to know

What you need to know

Early Wednesday morning, the hashtag “#EAGate” began trending on Twitter, with various users claiming that an alleged EA employee was selling cards forFIFA 21’s popular Ultimate Team mode for real cash.

Things began when a Twitter user shared screenshots of what they purport to be between a customer and an alleged EA employee, as the two discuss pricing for recently released, high level cards. In the conversation, they discuss the pricing of the cards (which seem to go up to $2500), and the customer even asks how exactly the cards will be delivered, with the seller confirming that they would appear in their account via EA.

#EAGATEA special thanks to@RiberaRibellfor the picture , he did an amazing work❤️(continue in the comments)#fut#fifapic.twitter.com/bJIg2rpWtI#EAGATEA special thanks to@RiberaRibellfor the picture , he did an amazing work❤️(continue in the comments)#fut#fifapic.twitter.com/bJIg2rpWtI— Arcade-Fut (@FutArcade)March 10, 2021March 10, 2021

For those unaware, FIFA’s Ultimate Team Mode has long been one of its most popular, with players able to collect cards of their favorite players and build a team with them. However, the mode is notoriously criticized for its extreme reliance on microtransactions, and third-party sellers have always been a part of the FUT community, even though EA Sports has attempted to crack down on them in recent times.

However, while fans of the game have always jokingly said that EA employees were giving away cards, finding out that one may be selling them is an entirely different story. Currently, EA Sports has yet to comment on the claims, but various popular FIFA 21 streamers have already come out to share their frustration with the news.

I know social media is going to have a field day with the memes and jokes, but ultimately it exposes a huge fucking problem with FUT at the moment, to the fact EA employees are (allegedly) having to SELL Icons for people to have a chance of using them. Needs changing.I know social media is going to have a field day with the memes and jokes, but ultimately it exposes a huge fucking problem with FUT at the moment, to the fact EA employees are (allegedly) having to SELL Icons for people to have a chance of using them. Needs changing.— NepentheZ (@NepentheZ)March 10, 2021March 10, 2021

Among the biggest complaints is the fact that it seems like a slap in the face for players to spend real-life money on packs in the hopes of pulling rare cards, just for someone to be selling the specific cards for even higher prices.

It’s unclear at the moment what, if anything, will come of this story. Should it prove to be true, it’ll be interesting to see what EA does in response, and how they crack down to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

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Anthony Nash has been writing about games and the gaming industry for nearly a decade. When he’s not writing about games, he’s usually playing them. You can find him on Twitter talking about games or sports at@_anthonynash.