I remember it being a big deal, well, some deal for a brief while, that God of War Ragnarok had reused boat animations from the previous game. Similarly for Horizon Forbidden West I think.

Anyway, sports games come annually and literally feel like the same game with some adjustments here and there and they're usually the best sellers lol, so this issue feels like a very "online thing", or perhaps the title makes it seem like there's a big inexcusable issue that needs a "defence".