Crypto farm used 3800 PS4s for FIFA bots, not to mine cryptocurrency

A massive crypto farm in Vinnitsa, Ukraine was seized by government officials alongside 3800 PlayStation 4 Pro consoles. Despite popular belief, these consoles weren't actually used to mine cryptocurrency.

Last week, the Security Service of Ukraine busted a crypto farm and seized a massive stockpile of tech that included over 500 graphics cards, 50 CPUs, and a whopping 3800 PS4 Pros. Erroneous reports assumed the PS4s were somehow being used for crypto farming--which is something that hasn't really been done before.

The reality is the miners weren't using the consoles for crypto. According to new reports from European news site Delo, the miners were using the PS4s to make money off of FIFA. The PS4 Pros were a bot farm, complete with special AI that simulated actual player behaviors, playstyles, and actions. These bots basically racked up in-game coins and leveled up accounts, which were then sold on an underground market for a profit.

This is nothing new in the games industry, and is somewhat reminiscent of the CSGO Lotto scandals from a few years ago.

The truth is FIFA is a lucrative business. EA makes over $1 billion every year from FIFA's monetized microtransactions and full game sales, and the franchise is the best-selling sports games property of all time.

It's also a great digital hustle with lots of demand for high-leveled accounts.