EA has defended its decision to introduce price-ranges to popular FIFA game mode Ultimate Team.

The new pricing system was introduced in the latest of a series of moves to try and clamp down on the amount of people selling and farming coins in the game. The move however, has come in for a bit of criticism, notably for the minimum/minimum price system making a number of players harder to get hold of than they were previously.

In a blog post on their website, EA said the reason behind this was to make it fairer for both casual and hardcore players.

“What are we trying to achieve with these changes? It’s simple – we want to keep the game fair and secure for everyone, and ensure a level playing field for all FUT fans.

“To accomplish this we have to root out the activities of coin farmers and cheaters who are harming your experience with the game. These exploiters generate coins illegitimately in the FUT economy through the use of bots and phishing scams, creating a flood of fraudulent in-game currency and driving up the cost of players on the Transfer Market.

“This inflation fundamentally damages the economy, making top players unattainable for the vast majority of FUT fans who are not exploiting the system and who simply want to play the right way.”

Despite the complaints with the minimum/maximum prices, EA said it is seeing positive signs in its battle against coin farmers, with the developer adjusting the prices of more than 650 players. However, EA admitted it will take time to balance the market again.

“The introduction of Price Ranges has helped restrict illegitimate coin transfers on the FUT Transfer Market, and balance player item prices so they reflect the current marketplace, but finding that right balance will take some time – we have a team dedicated to finding that balance.” The developer said.

Last Wednesday, EA said they introduced console-specific pricing to better represent the economy on each console, which you can view here.

Recently, EA decided remove the Transfer Market from the games web app to try and cut down on the cheaters. They say they will be re-introducing it soon, but want to make the system more stable and secure.

What are your thoughts on the changes to FIFA Ultimate Team’s new pricing system?