'Star Wars Battlefront 2' To Reinstate Microtransactions 'In A Few Months'
It looks like EA is ready to put the "Star Wars Battlefront 2" loot box controversy behind them and push forward with reinstating microtransactions into the game. The publisher announced that the feature will be coming back "in a few months" after being removed last year due to a massive outrage from players.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen said that the game will re-introduce microtransactions in the next few months. He did not reveal any of the changes to the loot box system that caused the massive blowback from the community but the company stated that they need to do it the right way to prevent a repeat of the controversy.
"Going forward, we believe that live services that include optional digital monetization, when done right, provide a very important element of choice that can extend and enhance the experience in our games," EA said. "We're committed to continually working with our players to deliver the right experience in each of our games and live services."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Whatever the case, EA believes that microtransactions are a means to "enhance the experience in our games." The loot box system allowed players to easily equip their players with Star Cards giving their characters and ships abilities and while many players were happy that the removal of loot boxes made the progression "fair," some were upset at the rate at which they can unlock new Star Cards.
The return of microtransactions could make up for the disappointing revenue numbers of "Star Wars Battlefront 2" which EA blamed, funnily enough, on the removal of microtransactions. According to Jorgensen, even if the game were to sell 3 million units by the fiscal year's conclusion at the end of March it would still put it behind its predecessor.
Fortunately, "Star Wars Battlefront" is definitely performing better than its predecessor solely by the fact that it was a "complete" game. Over their respective first three months, "Star Wars Battlefront 2" players logged twice as much play time as the 2015 Battlefront game. If EA hopes to recoup their investment, keeping the player count is definitely a good place to start.
