An EA employee has been accused of selling $2,000 in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team items on the black market, forcing the suspension of all discretionary content spending.

The publisher of the hugely popular soccer game, dubbed "EA-gate" by fans, is investigating the matter rigorously and has issued an update stating that it will ban all accounts associated with unauthorized in-game item purchases.

"The alleged behavior is unacceptable and in no way condones the granting or purchase of player items in exchange for money."

"This behavior is contrary to the competitive integrity of the game and is a violation of EA's user agreement, which we do not condone.

The news came to light when Matteo Rivera, an Italian professional FIFA player with Exceed, began leaking photos of direct messages between users and accused EA employees.

EA released a statement saying that anyone involved in the malicious content acquisition would have their accounts permanently banned.

"We know that the trust our community has placed in us is hard-won and based on the principles of fair play. This misconduct shakes that trust. We have also made it clear since the inception of Ultimate Team that items may not be exchanged outside of the game. This is a violation of that principle as well, and we will not tolerate it."

Content granting is the granting of in-game items to a specific player's account, which are not exchangeable. These items cannot be exchanged or transferred and cannot be shared with other players.

The items in question are known as icon cards and are usually acquired through integrated involvement from gameplay or other platforms. Prices for cards sold by employees ranged from $800 to $2,000.

FIFA Ultimate Team, also known as FUT, is a mode that allows players to build teams using players from every league throughout professional soccer history. Players can purchase packs, similar to trading cards, to unlock rare players. The player can then be added to the Ultimate Team. Players can also be traded or sold, just like cards.

FIFA Ultimate Team brought in $1.5 billion for EA in 2020, with "off-the-charts" spending during the Covid-19 craze; FUT's huge popularity, especially among younger audiences, has drawn ire from several European countries with strong anti-gambling laws. Games containing randomized packs of this kind, also known as loot boxes, may soon be labeled 18-and-over in countries like Germany.