Lucasfilm Confirms Support for Cancellation of Microtransactions in 'Battlefront II'
Amid all the talks and controversy surrounding "Star Wars: Battlefront II's" microtransactions, Electronic Arts (EA) found an ally supporting its decision to cancel the in-game purchases.
A spokesperson from Lucasfilm said that the movie and TV company behind the "Star Wars" franchise is in full support of the controversial decision by game developer EA. "Star Wars has always been about the fans--and whether it's Battlefront or any other Star Wars experience, they come first," the spokesperson told The Washington Post. "That's why we support EA's decision to temporarily remove in-game payments to address fan concerns," the representative added.
Furthermore, Disney executive Jimmy Pitaro was also reportedly involved in EA's decision to suspend "Battlefront II's" microtransactions. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the Disney boss got in touch with the EA management, hours before the in-game purchases were suspended. Pitaro reportedly told EA bosses that Disney executives were disappointed at how negative fan reaction on the microtransactions "reflected on their marquee property."
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Last Friday, Gamespot reported that EA's stock price dropped by 2.5 percent, down to $108.82, after the developer removed the microtransactions. EA's stock also dropped by seven percent for the month of November.
Despite the setback, the company, overall, is still performing remarkably well for the year. Its share price now stands 42 percent higher last year.
Additionally, the company also submitted a document to the Securities and Exchange Commission, in relation to their decision of scrapping the in-game purchases. The company noted that the "change is not expected to have a material impact on EA's fiscal year 2018 financial guidance."
EA DICE General Manager Oskar Gabrielson also released a statement explaining the decision, days before the game's official release date. "We've heard the concerns about potentially giving players unfair advantages. And we've heard that this is overshadowing an otherwise great game. This was never our intention. Sorry we didn't get this right," Gabrielson wrote.
He also clarified that the in-game purchases are only suspended temporarily and that the microtransactions will return at a later date. For now, they will "spend more time listening, adjusting, balancing and tuning."
