This is the last printed manual you'll ever see for an EA Sports game. The publisher has joined Ubisoft in releasing games without an instruction booklet, and will instead include a version of instructions that gamers may page through from within the game.
EA Sports spokesman Rob Semsey confirmed the change, begun on March 1 with Fight Night Champion. The decision to drop printed manuals is an effort to support more environmentally friendly production of games, Semsey said.
It also saves on printing costs, of course. The reality is many games now include tutorial levels that do the job better, sports games included. Fight Night Champion begins with one. Gamers may like the idea of a printed instruction booklet, especially to read on the john, but the truth is most jump right into a game without reading one.
Last year, Ubisoft decided to ditch printed instructions in its PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 titles, beginning with Shaun White Skateboarding.