14 DAY TRIAL // Developer and publisher Electronic Arts has announced that it is removing trading between players from FIFA 15's Ultimate Team mode.
The way things used to work, trade offers would allow users to exchange items directly, instead of having to rely on the game's auction mechanics, which enabled gamers to barter and strike a deal, pretty much the way commerce has functioned since the dawn of civilization.
The majority of users used the system to share items with friends, from coins to players that would have otherwise taken more casual gamers a long time to farm, and which seasoned players had in excess.
Similarly to how things were not always as clean when diving under the surface throughout the history of man, the system also saw abuse from various individuals looking to make some money on the back of the "legitimate" party making money from coin selling, the infamous gold farmers and traders.
Purging abuse from the system
The change will no doubt frustrate a lot of friends who used to pool resources, and seemingly EA is cracking down on coin sellers without offering innocent players any chance to continue pooling their resources.
"Although some honest players used this feature to trade with friends, it became one of the methods used by coin sellers to sell and move coins," the forum post announcing the change reads.
Apparently, the issue goes deeper than just moving virtual currency around, and EA is also trying to protect its users from more nefarious individuals through the change.
"Account phishers also abused Trade Offers by moving stolen players and coins after wrongfully gaining access to unsuspecting FUT player accounts. This will also address 'bid bumping,' where people would try and trick others into bidding far more than they wanted for a player item," EA stated.
Part of a grander scheme
This is just another move in EA's ongoing campaign to control the rising black market that has steadily grown over the course of the last installments in the series, and which is said to be the prime cause for account hacking.
In order to achieve this, the company will start banning coin sellers, and coin buyers will also be penalized, with punishments ranging from warnings to bans for repeat offenders.
"It was a tough decision, but this is the right step towards improving security, showing cheaters the red card, and keeping FUT safe for all FIFA fans," EA writes.
EA has also announced that the maximum number of transfer targets in FUT 15, after the unlockable EA Sports Football Club boosts are applied, will be 50, which means that players will be limited to bidding on only 50 items at once.
FIFA 15 is coming out on September 23 in North America and September 25 in Europe.