FIFA 18 Removes Guest Play From Ultimate Team, Incites Backlash

It seems EA has removed the guest play option for FIFA 18's Ultimate Team this year and players aren't too happy.

A social media campaign began circulating last week asking EA Sports to #bringbackguest. Players are calling on EA Sports to either reinstate guest mode for FIFA 18's Ultimate Team mode or issue refunds.

Guest play in Ultimate Team is a feature that essentially turns FIFA's most popular feature into a co-op experience, which if you're a fan of soccer know that it's even better with your mates. While the Guest feature is still available for friendly games, it's disabled in competitive online modes—arguably the meat of the Ultimate Team experience.

Part of the problem stems from the fact that EA Sports didn't clearly advertise the removal of guest mode leading up to FIFA 18's release. It took a couple days after launch until players got an official answer regarding its removal, but that hasn't helped lessen the sting of its disappearance.

A thread in the FIFA subreddit is quickly filling up with complaints while an online petition is close to reaching its 10,000 signature goal (as of writing this) to bring back the feature. Though it's unclear if EA Sports will acquiesce to the pressure of its fans.

This isn't the only change chafing FIFA 18 players. A recent update which added clear indicators as to which player your online opponent is currently playing as received more blowback from players who are worried that this change could offset the balance of the game.

Our review of FIFA 18 called it a polished experience, but it seems as if EA's post-launch updates have been slowly tweaking or changing features in ways that fans of the series are having a hard time stomaching.

We'll keep you updated on any developments to guest play for FIFA 18's Ultimate Team. In the meantime, check out our comprehenesive FIFA 18 guide for all the latest.