EA has addressed the troubling racist user-created content players have been seeing in FIFA 21, and has promised it’s working on better tools and solutions and to stamp it out.
When approached by Eurogamer (opens in new tab) over club names in Pro Clubs in FIFA 21 that feature racist and homophobic content, and even racist caricatures created through the custom player face options, EA gave a statement about how it planned to tackle the problem going forward.
“Under our Positive Play Charter, our teams are focused on improving in-game reporting and moderation tools, along with a players’ ability to report any offensive content at ea.com/report. This helps ensure that when people don’t play by the rules, there are easily accessible channels to report problem players or inappropriate content,” it said.
“We take all reports seriously and regularly action against our findings. Since the launch of FIFA 21 we have banned over 9000 accounts and issued over 25,000 warnings or suspensions as a result of inappropriate or offensive content.
“We’re committed to continuously advancing our tools and solutions to address new challenges, including more intelligent monitoring and mitigation technology that will be released in the coming months.”
EA has made clear its stance on racism in the past, with CEO Andrew Wilson publishing a statement (opens in new tab) during the Black Lives Matter protests of last year in support of EA’s “African-American / Black colleagues and partners, families and friends” and donating over $1 million to organizations like the Equal Justice Initiative, the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and promising to match employee contributions.
You can donate to the Equal Justice Initiative and find out more about its work here (opens in new tab).