EA SPORTS has axed provocative goal celebrations from Fifa 21 as part of its efforts to clean up “toxic behaviour” in online games.
The US gaming giant said the “Shush” and “A-OK” celebrations had been pulled from the upcoming game, with more changes to come.
The celebrations are often used to infuriate opponents after scoring last-minute winners or other goals.
EA Sports confirmed it was removing the moves from Fifa 21 to Eurogamer on Wednesday,
Once the ball hits the back of the net, a player triggers a “Shush” celebration to place a finger to the scorer’s lips in a “quiet down” motion.
Players have complained about the rage-inducing goal celebration in the past, suggesting the move encourages bullying.
“Why do people like to provoke others when they’ve scored a goal?” one user wrote on a Fifa forum last December.
“I simply don’t get why this celebration is even put in the game by EA.
It’s almost like EA encourage kids to bully each other.”
Also banned from Fifa 21 is the “A-Okay” or “Challenge” celebration made famous by Tottenham star Delli Ali in 2018.
The move involves placing your thumb and fingers in an “o” shape around one eye to form an “Ok” gesture.
It’s not known for being particularly provocative on Fifa, and is rarely used, so it’s not enirely clear why the celebration has been removed.
In July Infinity Ward removed a similar gesture from Call of Duty Warzone, likely due to its links to right-wing hate groups.
EA Sports told Eurogamer it was making more changes “in this area”, so expect other goal celebrations to be axed in future.
One potentially up for ban is the “calm down” celebration used by Christiano Ronaldo. It’s often used to antagonise opponents.
