PS4 warehouse
Last week we reported on a warehouse in Ukraine where over 3,800 PS4 consoles were found. When it was discovered, the authorities assumed that the hardware was being used as a crypto farm to mine a special currency. Now it turns out that the PS4 consoles may have served a different purpose. The operators apparently collected virtual coins in FIFA Ultimate Team. The accounts were later to be sold on via a platform.Even then, many observers were a bit surprised why PS4 consoles were being used as a crypto farm. The efficiency of the hardware leaves a lot to be desired here. Even if the operators of the warehouse have probably only dealt with FIFA Ultimate Team, they still have to expect a penalty. The problem wasn't the farm itself, but the fact that they illegally tapped electricity from the local grid. Because of the huge amount of power required to run the PS4 consoles, the authorities became aware of the warehouse in Ukraine.
That the Ultimate Team game mode has become a lucrative business for EA It's no longer a secret. Last year alone, the publisher made over $ 1.6 billion just with Ultimate Team. Most of the income comes from FIFA. Accounts, player cards or coins are offered on the black market for sometimes high prices. FIFA 22 will also have the popular game mode with it again.
Source: Kotaku
Ukraine PS4 Warehouse May Be FIFA Bot Farm Instead
Previously, we saw a report by the Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) stating that it seized thousands of PS4 Pro consoles from a warehouse. The consoles were said to be part of an illegal crypto mining farm. A new report has emerged over the weekend, disputing this claim by the agency. It says that rather than being a crypto mining operation, the thousands of consoles were used in a FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) bot farm.
Ukrainian business paper Delo reports that a number of the SBU’s claims in its initial report was dubious. Part of this came down to the nature of the seized consoles, which were of the PS4 Slim variety rather than the PS4 Pro. This made it quite a lot less optimal for crypto mining. The paper also claims that some of the consoles had game discs popping out of them, though it is unclear what the game is exactly.
Delo’s report ultimately claims that its source within the SBU confirmed that it is indeed a FUT bot farm rather than a crypto mining one. But as for the SBU itself, the report states that the organisation refused to comment, citing the secrecy of the investigation.
Ultimately, both are ways for a shady organisation to increase its wealth. Though granted, in today’s world of crypto hype, an illegal mining farm would probably make for more exciting headlines.
That’s not to say a FUT bot farm is any less lucrative. After all, an army of thousands of bots can grind through thousands of hours of, well, soul-draining grind. The accumulated FUT points can then be sold on the black market at a lower rate than the official prices set by EA. Though even then, you’ll probably empty your bank account before you get your desired player card.
(Source: Delo via Eurogamer)