Some Players Spend 5,000 Dollars a Month on FIFA Ultimate Team

One of the big trends in video gaming during 2010, which will gain even more momentum this year, was the rise of microtransaction-based experiences, where players actually choose how involved they aim to be and how much they want to spend on a title.

One of the companies that have focused on this emerging market has been publisher Electronic Arts and Chief Executive Officer John Riccitiello has revealed the extent of the model’s success in a longer talk with IndustryGamers.

He said, “Our highest ARPU (average revenue per user) are free-to-play games among paying users. You think about that and say, ‘how can a free game be the game they pay the most for?’ We have people who are giving us $5,000 in a month to play FIFA Ultimate Team. And it’s free. Dirty little secret.”

FIFA Ultimate Team is a card-based experience that takes its cues from the popular football simulation franchise and allows players to create virtual teams and compete against one another using them.

The mode was popular enough when released for FIFA 10 to release for the 2011 edition of the game with a suite of enhancements.

Electronic Arts might aim to expand the mode, given the impact that it has had, and other titles, like Madden NFL and NBA Elite, could benefit from a similarly structured experience when their 2012 editions arrive.

Electronic Arts is also working hard to launch Facebook-based social gaming experiences that accompany core franchises like FIFA and Madden, with the latest release being a PGA Tour video game that uses United 3D to deliver actual three-dimensional gaming golfing action.

The publisher has also recently stated, through the voice of its CEO, that digitally distributed content will in 2011 be in more revenue for it than actual brick and mortar retail sales.