[daemin]

I don't see how they can have it both ways. Either the game is an eSport where the most skillful person wins, or they can have lootboxes where the person that spends the most wins.

So in the first case there is no super significant difference between the players on the field, which means there is no point to buy loot boxes to get better players.

Or in the second case it isn't really an eSport because the person that spends the most money (and is luckiest with the players that they get) will more likely win.

[petercooper]

There's a lot of debate over whether FIFA is viable as an eSport game for that reason (plus other issues like defence being largely controlled by AI and an array of RNG effects and gameplay glitches, e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/FIFA/comments/94iwmo/esports_ready_...). It'll be interesting to see if/how FIFA 19 addresses this as even amongst some FIFA players, the idea of it being eSports worthy is laughable: https://www.reddit.com/r/FIFA/comments/99zcag/fifa_esports_n...

[edcarter]

What you are essentially describing is "pay to compete". Many sports have a barrier to entry to compete at the top levels. For example, take a look at Magic the Gathering. A top tier deck can cost thousands of dollars, but it only puts you on an even playing field with other top players. Past that point your success as a Magic player is based upon your skill and consistency.

[daemin]

Yes, but you can buy those cards and decks directly without having to pay thousands of dollars more in boosters in order to find those cards.

It's the difference between going to the shop and buying the thing you want versus going to a casino and pulling a slot machine handle until you get lucky and win the prize that you want.