EA has added a paid season pass to FC 25 in a first for its long-running soccer series.The EA Sports FC 25 Premium Pass is live now in-game and can be obtained with the earnable in-game virtual currency (500,000 UT Coins) or the virtual currency paid for with real-world money (1,000 FC Points, which cost $9.99).The paid track includes exclusive content and, crucially, tradeable packs. This means players of Ultimate Team (FC’s most popular and controversial mode) can sell the rewards obtained in the Premium Pass to other players for in-game currency that can then be used to buy the next Premium Pass (assuming they earn enough coins from the sale of those items in the auction house, of course).Rewards include a number of powerful cards, such as Immortal Icon Franck Ribéry, and powerful Evolution consumables that are used to improve cards you already own.FC's first ever paid season pass. Image credit: EA Sports.Some players are already hitting out at EA for the decision, pointing out this $9.99 Premium Pass comes on top of what is already a premium game and, when it comes to Ultimate Team, an already heavily-monetized game mode. Critics are also suggesting that the Premium Pass offers a direct way to buy powerful cards which can then be used in competitive multiplayer.Others, however, are pointing out that you still need to level up to unlock most of the rewards, and you can pay for the premium track with coins earned through gameplay alone, so technically everything here is earnable by just playing.And effectively, Ultimate Team store packs already offer a direct purchase route, given there are many that now include guaranteed cards of a certain power level. However, this paid season pass is the closest EA has come to just letting fans buy Ultimate Team players directly.PlayThe addition of FC’s first ever paid season pass may be an attempt by EA to further monetize its money-spinner now the game is available at a heavily discounted price and ahead of FC 25’s expected arrival in console subscription services such as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PlayStation Plus.It’s also worth noting that back in January EA lowered its financial forecast for its fiscal year, pointing to the “underperformance” of EA Sports FC 2025 (which accounted for the "majority" of the shortfall) and BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard.In a blog post, EA said the Premium Pass is “purely additive” and promised not to shift rewards from the standard tier of the Season Pass to the Premium Pass.“While our Season 7 Premium Pass rewards are locked in, we’ll be monitoring your feedback to make sure we deliver the best experience possible in whatever mode you play in FC moving forward,” EA said.The launch of the Premium Pass at the beginning of EA’s new financial year is telling (EA reports the results of its FY 2025 in May), and it looks like a clear set-up for the inevitable EA Sports FC 26. The question for EA is, will the Premium Pass do the business it needs without causing ruptions in its community?Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.