Battlefront 2 heated the emotions of players with Pay2Win accusations, loot boxes, and microtransactions. Then the microtransactions were suddenly removed. Is there a phone call between the heads of Disney and EA behind this?
A huge shitstorm has erupted around Star Wars Battlefront II in recent days. The reason was microtransactions modeled after FIFA 18. The progression of Battlefront 2 was designed around acquiring or earning the boxes.
Anyone who wanted everything in the game would have to grind over 4,000 hours or invest over $2,000 in loot boxes, according to some fans’ calculations.
The anger continued to rise, there were calls for boycotts, and now there are also legal investigations in Belgium regarding “illegal gambling via loot boxes”.
On the day of the release of Battlefront 2, EA apparently took action and removed the microtransactions from Battlefront 2 for the time being. However, there is also said to have been a phone call with the head of Disney…
Does the shitstorm around Battlefront 2 damage the Star Wars brand?
The mega-corporation Disney is not only known for amusement parks and cute animated films. The company also owns the rights to enormously successful franchises such as Marvel and Star Wars. Furthermore, Disney is concerned about its good reputation as a family-friendly corporation. It does not want to be associated with unpleasant things like gambling.
A major shitstorm around a Star Wars product – especially shortly before the release of Episode VIII – is therefore unlikely to be in the company’s interest. Players have already spread the information about the alleged exploitation and the loot box gambling. The goal was likely to prompt Disney to intervene to protect the brand’s good reputation.
In any case, the situation caused increasing waves, and finally mainstream media such as Stern in Germany and CNN in America expressed negative views on Battlefront 2 and microtransactions for loot boxes in games.
Did Disney rein in EA?
Therefore, many players currently suspect that Disney is behind the disappearance of the microtransactions. During the latest AMA (Ask Me Anything, an open question round) of the developers on the subject, EA still insisted on the microtransactions, even though they hinted at alternative progression methods.
However, at launch, the microtransactions were suddenly gone. According to the site Venturebeat, there was reportedly a phone call between Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, and Andrew Wilson, the head of EA, prior to this. Sources familiar with the situation reported this.
Shortly thereafter, the microtransactions in Battlefront 2 were suddenly removed.
For many players, it is clear that Disney has reined in EA to prevent harming the reputation of their brand. Others, however, see the (temporary) disappearance of the microtransactions primarily as a victory for the fans, who protested loudly and for a long time until EA relented. After all, many players saw a line crossed with Battlefront 2 and fought vigorously against it.
What happens next with the microtransactions?
However, those who read the statement from DICE and EA regarding microtransactions know that the transactions are supposed to return at a later point. The only question is whether it will be only selected items and cosmetics for real money or whether the disliked loot box system will come back in the form it was originally planned.
EA wanted to turn Battlefront 2 into FIFA. And the fans hate it!
