Xbox fans are furious as ads are thrust at them despite paying a premium price

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IT seems companies are trying to save or make money in any way possible and it’s coming at the expense of players. Even if gamers are not paying a literal price for these monetisation efforts, they still feel put out after investing so much in their hobby. People expect ads and extra efforts to push purchases when they are playing free-to-play games, but they don’t expect them to come from things they’ve paid for.

Which is why it's so shocking when ads are played to gamers as soon as they turn their consoles on. EA Sports FC 25 launches on September 27, 2024, and Ultimate Edition and EA Play owners are already diving into the action. While EA FC is usually the most popular game of the year, depending on the quality of the Call of Duty annual release, it appears that Xbox wants to give it an extra boost.



More in Xbox Over the last few days, Xbox players have been turning on their consoles only to be greeted by a full-screen advert for the upcoming football game. The Xbox Series S costs between £249/$299 and £299/$349 and this is the cheaper version of the Xbox console. Those who opted for the pricier Series X shelled out between £479/$499 and £549/$599 for theirs.

As people pay premium prices for their consoles, they don’t expect to be bombarded by obnoxious ads as soon as they boot it up. Most read in Gaming This is not the first time that Xbox has advertised games this way, but it doesn’t stop people from being furious. However, all of the previous games had something in common; they were all made by Xbox owned studios.

Previous games to get the full-screen treatment include Starfield, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Forza Motorsport, all of which are first-party titles. The recent inclusion of EA Sports FC to this list means that Xbox is willing to give any game, even if it doesn't own it, a full-screen advert. These adverts are frustrating for players as they put another step between them and their games.

It’s also not always easy to close out of the ad and get to your game, as the buttons to purchase the title are far larger than those to close the advert. If you want to read more about Xbox, check out the rumours about an upcoming Xbox handheld console . Get the lowdown on more of the latest Xbox releases from our expert reviewers.

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