Nintendo Switch FIFA 19 Ultimate Team players shafted once again

Own goal.

News by Wesley Yin-Poole Former Editor-in-Chief

Updated on Dec. 15, 2018

Nintendo Switch players of FIFA 19 have long felt like second-class citizens in comparison to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players of the football game. But a recent kerfuffle over an Ultimate Team promotion has left them particularly upset.

EA recently launched the FUTMAS promotion for Ultimate Team. This is a big deal for the FIFA community, as it adds daily player squad building challenges (SBCs), prime icon SBCs, FUTMAS-themed SBCs, themed daily and weekly objectives, new players and new kits. Here's the official tweet from EA on FUTMAS:

FUTMAS is back #FUT #FIFA19 pic.twitter.com/St3sS8QW0o
— EA SPORTS FC (@EASPORTSFC) December 14, 2018

In the small print, EA says themed daily and weekly objectives are not available in the Nintendo Switch version of FIFA 19. But over on the Nintendo of America Twitter account, Nintendo tells Switch owners they can get "huge pack promotions and exclusive themed kits during this festive period" as part of FUTMAS.

It’s FUTmas time in #FIFA19 for #NintendoSwitch! Get huge pack promotions and exclusive themed kits during this festive period. https://t.co/6JrLNeC8sv pic.twitter.com/bAb3JOtOu5
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 14, 2018

And, according to reddior BrychanJ, the Switch news feed itself promotes FUTMAS and its special SBCs.

But, as players have pointed out, FUTMAS SBCs are not currently in the Nintendo Switch version of the game.

"You guys do realise that FUTMAS promotions are not included in the Nintendo Switch edition... RIGHT?!!" Twitter user Steven Wheat‏ replied to Nintendo of America.

It's beyond hilarious and pathetic that the futmas campaign was shunned on the Switch while it became available for other console. And these guys here are advertising about it. It's embarrassing.
— Biraj Paul (@thefinnpoe) December 14, 2018

Go and have a word with @EASPORTS and tell them to give us the content that you are promoting for them. Might be useful.
— rotorooter (@rotorooter64) December 15, 2018

This clearly qualifies as a fraud, because you are advertising about something that does not exist and directing users to buy this half-baked game for full price as other consoles. It's beyond my understanding, because it's a clear case of misleading a player.
— Biraj Paul (@thefinnpoe) December 14, 2018

"This is true false advertising, as it says we have it, but we don't," BrychanJ complained over on Reddit.

EA might have worded its tweet carefully to avoid mentioning the arrival of FUTMAS SBCs on the Nintendo Switch version of FIFA 19, but the FIFA promo page in the notifications tab of the Switch does mention SBCs, so something's definitely not right here.

So far, EA has yet to respond to this issue (we've asked for comment). Players are left wondering whether there's a delay on FUTMAS SBCs coming to FIFA 19 on Nintendo Switch, or whether it simply won't be in the game at all. All the while, players on other versions are already getting stuck in.

The disparity between the Nintendo Switch version of FIFA 19 and the other versions has been a long-running issue for players. (Check out Martin's impressions of FIFA 19 on Nintendo Switch for more.) There are understandable graphical and technical differences, but what players struggle to accept are the differences in Ultimate Team (the lack of League SBCs is a sore point). All this for a version of FIFA 19 that costs more.

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