Former EA Sports chief Peter Moore has staunchly defended FIFA's fan-favourite Ultimate Team by insisting that it is a "long way" from gambling.
The Liverpool-born business executive was appointed head of EA's sports division in 2007, with Ultimate Team making its debut in FIFA 09 in 2008.
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However, EA Sports has faced backlash over the microtransactions and loot boxes in FUT, prompting the company to face lawsuits in both the US and France.
Moore, who was also the former CEO of Liverpool, acknowledged that loot boxes outside of sports have received a "lot of scrutiny and criticism."
But he doesn't believe that Ultimate Team should be classified as gambling, saying Electronic Arts has always managed "getting feedback" very well.
Moore told GamesIndustry.biz: "You're always getting something. It's not like you opened it and there's no players in there.
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"This is a personal view, but the concept of surprise and delight vs gambling... on a continuum, they're a long way from each other.
"You buy or grind your way up to getting a gold pack, you open it up, and you're either happy or you think it's a crappy pack.
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"I don't see that as gambling, per se -- but again, this is my personal view as an outsider right now.
"I get the scrutiny, I understand outside of sports that loot boxes -- again, another EA title in particular -- get a lot of scrutiny and criticism. EA pulled back on that.
"One thing they're always good at is getting feedback and realising, 'You know what, probably shouldn't have done that' or 'That was the wrong decision, it wasn't gamer-first,' and then pulling back and making a different decision."
EA Sports could see Ultimate Team being classified as gambling in the UK after the House of Lords Gambling Committee called for loot boxes and microtransactions to be regulated under gambling laws.
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Topics: gaming news, GAMING, FIFA, FUT, EA, Electronic Arts, EA Sports, Ultimate Team, FIFA Ultimate Team