BT and EA Sports Invite FIFA 22 Ultimate Team Players to Stand Up Against Online Hate

To mark Safer Internet Day, BT has teamed up with EA SPORTS to offer FIFA 22 Ultimate Team (FUT) players the Hope United kit. 

Available for free via FUT Season Objectives, BT and EA SPORTS are encouraging FIFA 22 players to equip their Ultimate Team with the kit in-game to help stand against online hate. 

BT are also launching a new Tech Tip to help gamers tackle online hate, Trent Alexander Arnold, Jordan Henderson, Danielle Carter and Michail Antonio will share information on how to report abuse while online gaming. 

In addition, BT Sport will host a Hope United FIFA Challenge, which will see footballers Declan Rice, Michail Antonio and Trent Alexander-Arnold and four of the best FIFA esport players, Tekkz, Lisa Manley, FUTcrunch and Ebru, battle it out for the Hope Cup, while opening up on their own experiences of online hate. This will be shown on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport’s YouTube channel on Wednesday 8th February at 6pm.

Pete Jeavons, Marketing Communications Director BT, said “We are delighted to work alongside one of the industry’s leading developers, and one of the most popular game series of all time, to showcase the Hope United initiative and continue to shine a light and fight back against the online abuse people face every day. We hope this campaign will remind people that hate has no place in any game, and what they can do to combat it.”

James Salmon, EA SPORTS FIFA Marketing Director, said “Video games should be fun, fair, and safe for everyone, we want players to enjoy the best possible experience online. We take our responsibilities seriously, providing tools and helping players understand how to use them effectively. That’s why we’ve joined forces with BT Hope United and stand alongside them in asking our players to tackle online hate together.”

William John, creative director at Saatchi and Saatchi said: “Last year we brought the UK’s biggest tech company together with the nation’s biggest footballers to create Hope United in an effort to combat online hate. In 2022 we’re taking things even further by launching Hope United’s kit into the biggest sports video game on the planet, continuing our fight against toxicity and reaching more people than ever before in order to continue driving cultural change.” 

The campaign has been developed by BT’s advertising partner, Saatchi & Saatchi. To promote hope and encourage people to play with the Hope United kit within FUT, Saatchi & Saatchi has created a short film to demonstrate that online abuse doesn’t only affect the players on the pitch, it also has a huge impact on the gamers controlling them. The film launches today, 8 February, on TV (BT Sport) and on Twitch. Social ads will also run from across Facebook and Instagram. 

The film juxtaposes game footage with real life, opening on a wide shot of Wembley stadium at the end of a FIFA game. The hero player walks off the pitch in the Hope United kit, looking dejected. As he walks through the tunnel, we hear his powerful voiceover talking about the abuse he’s been subjected to. The film then cuts to the real world, and a close up of a player in his bedroom. We see the torment on his face as the voiceover starts again. As the film closes, the player appears alongside other Hope United team members, standing defiantly together in the fight against online hate. 

The Hope United kit will be available in FUT until April. For more information on Hope United and Tech Tips, click here.

BT’s Hope United campaign was launched ahead of Euro 2020 with the aim of raising awareness of, and stamping out, online hate. Backed by players from across the Home Nations, including Marcus Rashford, Gareth Bale, Andy Robertson, Lucy Bronze and many more, the initiative offers the nation Tech Tips equipping them with the digital skills needed to tackle online hate and become good digital citizens.