EA Sports FC 24, the latest soccer game in the series previously known as FIFA, has only been out for a little over a week and its loot box antics are already causing some fans to lose it in frustration. The Elite Season Opener Pack costs $30 and went live during the game’s paid “early access” period, jumpstarting the franchise’s annual pay-to-win race earlier than usual.

EA Sports FC 24 came out on September 22 for players subscribed to EA Play Pro or who purchased the $100 Ultimate Edition. As IGN reports, the Elite Season Opener Pack (285,000 FUT coins or 3,000 FC points) went up for sale shortly after, even before the game became available to everyone else starting on September 29. The pack promised 45 Rare Gold non-tradable players rated 80 or higher, but that includes “loan” cards, and many fans who decided to splurge on it have mostly gotten sub-90 players or duplicates of ones they already owned.

“I’m going to be honest right now to you boys please miss this pack,” FIFA content creator Swarmzy said in a video posted on TikTok. “I don’t even know what to say about this pack boys, just like, look at it man, it’s just awful man…Jesus Christ man I can’t believe it.”

FIFA’s most popular mode by far is Ultimate Team. It sees players grind or pay to unlock packs of pro player cards they can then use to create an all-star roster with which to compete against one another in competitive online multiplayer. It’s an economy driven by gambling mechanics that keeps players coming back each year to buy the newest annual release in the series and also lines publisher Electronic Arts’ pockets with revenue from microtransactions.

EA Sports FC 24 is no different, though the timing and price of the Elite Season Opener Pack has some players feeling like the company is turning the screws even more aggressively than normal. Players who don’t opt to spend the money will potentially be at a big disadvantage as they embark on their latest Ultimate Team campaign, while those who do may end up regretting it as well, given how stacked against them the odds are. The probability of unlocking a Gold 90+ player is just 5.6 percent, and some fans have spent $30 on the pack and not received any.

Some fans are joking that the pack is so outrageous it’s an intelligence test to see who actually buys it. While content creators with money to burn can be seen opening them just for the adrenaline rush and clout, some are arguing that the average value of the cards players are getting is barely half the cost of the FUT coins (earned by playing the game) that are required to buy the pack in the first place. The 3,000 paid FC point cost of the pack is also 200 more than the 2,800 points players can buy for $25, forcing them to dip into another $5 purchase to meet the required amount.

Nonsense like this hasn’t necessarily hurt FIFA’s popularity in the past, and EA Sports FC 24’s review scores, both from critics and users, are basically the same as the last game’s. But it’s always a good reminder that the best way to play the hit soccer game is just to grind for players you like and not worry too much about actually fielding a team that can dominate the leaderboards.

Buy EA Sports FC 24: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

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After just one weekend in theaters, Five Nights At Freddy’s is already breaking records and racking up an impressive $130 million at the global box office since releasing on October 27 to less-than-stellar reviews.

Following years of rumors and development, the long-anticipated Five Nights At Freddy’s movie is finally out. The film is based on the incredibly popular horror games featuring scary animatronics that hunt down protagonists at night. We first heard about a FNAF film all the way back in 2015 and according to producer Jason Blum, it took nearly a decade to get this movie made because the creator and developer behind the series, Scott Cawthorn, had a lot of input in every part of the film. And now, after all that work, Five Nights is out, just in time for Halloween. If you ask some folks, the scariest thing about FNAF might be its very low Rotten Tomatoes score. But that hasn’t stopped the creepy adaptation from setting numerous box office records and making a ton of money over its opening weekend.

The new PG-13 horror film starring The Hunger Games’ Josh Hutcherson closed out its opening weekend with an impressive $80 million in North America and $130 million globally. Keep in mind this film reportedly only cost $20 million to make, so it’s likely already profitable.

As reported by Variety, according to Blumhouse and Universal, here’s a list of records and accomplishments FNAF set after its opening weekend.

• Biggest opening weekend of the year for a horror film, overtaking “Scream VI” ($44 million)
• The second-largest debut of all time for a video game adaptation, behind “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146.3 million)
• Biggest opening weekend ever for Universal and Peacock’s hybrid releases, beating the slasher sequels, 2021 “Halloween Kills” ($49 million) and 2022’s “Halloween Ends” ($40 million)
• Highest-grossing opening weekend for Halloween weekend release, outperforming 2011’s “Puss in Boots” ($34 million)
• Third-biggest debut for any horror film, trailing 2017’s “It” ($123 million) and 2019’s “It: Chapter Two” ($91 million)
• Best debut ever for PG-13 horror film, besting 2001’s “The Mummy Returns” ($68 million)
• Highest-grossing Blumhouse global opening of all time, ahead of “Halloween” ($91.8 million)

It’s wild to see Five Nights At Freddy’s outperforming Halloween, The Mummy, and Scream. It also beat out the new Exorcist film, which as of October 29, has racked up a total of $120 million—which is less than FNAF’s opening weekend. It’s also a great reminder that the Five Nights franchise, even if it’s not the newest IP in the world, is still extremely popular among kids and teenagers.

The film’s PG-13 rating disappointed some bloodthirsty fans and horror critics, but it also likely helped the adaptation do better at the box office as it made it easier for younger folks to head to the theater and check it out.

Of course, a low Rotten Tomatoes score could spell doom for the film’s second weekend, but at this point, Blumhouse and Universal are probably pretty happy with how it’s been received, considering it took nearly a decade to get this thing out the door. Now I just need a Megan and Five Nights At Freddy’s crossover film. Come on Universal, make it happen.

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