Battlefront 2 was a highly anticipated shooter in the Star Wars universe in 2017. Publisher EA relied on a progression system built around loot boxes. This could already be tested in the beta and led to one of the biggest shitstorms in gaming. Loot boxes were nearly at the end afterwards.
What happened? In the 2010s, loot boxes were almost indispensable in gaming. Many games used the small surprise bags to sell new cosmetics. However, there were also many games that integrated loot boxes into their progression systems.
To this day, loot boxes are popular – among players and developers. This is evidenced by the continued success of the “Ultimate Team” mode in FIFA. But it could have been much worse.
Because if loot boxes are part of the progression systems, then it is only a few steps to pay-to-win. And no game represents the exploitation with loot boxes more than Battlefront 2.
Battlefront 2 looked really good back then and fulfilled many of the players’ wishes in gameplay. But loot boxes almost ruined that. Here is a gameplay trailer:
40 hours of gameplay to unlock heroes in a full-price game
How did the loot boxes work in BF2? The shitstorm began with the release of the beta of Battlefront 2. Here they wanted to test the mechanics.
It turned out: Through the loot boxes, players could receive upgrades for weapons and abilities in the game. In addition, the boxes could be purchased with premium currency. Pay-to-win was thus confirmed. Because those who buy more boxes directly have better stuff.
After the release, things got worse at first before they improved. Although the microtransactions were removed, progress could only be made through loot boxes. In the time shortly after the release, luck alone determined who got the best equipment.
Players could buy the great heroes of the universe with credits earned in-game. However, players calculated that it would take 40 hours just to unlock Luke Skywalker to gather enough credits. For all heroes, it was 170 hours (via computerbase.de).
So you bought a full-price Star Wars game and couldn’t even play as Darth Vader in conquest mode.
They wanted to “give players a sense of pride and achievement”
What did EA say about that? They calmed things down at every corner. The then CFO Blake Jorgensen said that loot box systems could help improve the overall player experience – if done “correctly”.
However, the real uproar occurred on Reddit. To this day, a statement from the “EA Community Team” holds the record for the post with the most downvotes on the discussion platform: 667,642 (via reddit.com).
The debate over loot boxes in Battlefront 2 was already in full swing at that point. Players wanted clear statements, but only received explanations and excuses – they claimed they would keep an eye on the data and adjust accordingly, as stated on Reddit.
Even the first sentence of the record post likely triggered many players: “The intention is to give players a sense of pride and accomplishment when they unlock various heroes” (via reddit.com).
Rarely has a sentence so well embodied how far some publishers/developers had distanced themselves from the player base. They did not want to unlock the heroes. They wanted to play them. Especially since you had to rely on luck in the match to even be allowed to select the desired heroes.
At least: Pay-to-win was completely eliminated
What happened after the adjustments? The compromise was ultimately quite acceptable, even if the loot boxes did not disappear completely. Pay-to-win was no longer present; the better versions of the class abilities were then unlocked through the class’s level.
The heroes still had to be unlocked, but less credits were required for that and players also received more credits for playing. The time was reduced to about 10 hours for one of the expensive 15,000-credit heroes and around 40 hours of gameplay for all heroes.
Only Call of Duty tried it: but failed
Why did BF2 end the era of loot boxes? The shitstorm surrounding loot boxes in Battlefront 2 was enormous. It showcased the influence of communities on the perception of a game.
After the Battlefront incident, publishers/developers thought twice about whether to include loot boxes as part of progression systems in a game for major PC and console titles.
However, there was still one major game after Battlefront 2 that did not learn this lesson: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. The shooter fell far short of expectations in 2018 and was full of annoying random mechanics. Only after the end of its life cycle did it change through an update.
In BO4, you had to unlock a weapon through loot boxes to use it. The best cosmetics could not be used with the normal weapon. You then needed a special version of the weapon to even use the already unlocked skin. Of course, you could only get this special version with super small probabilities via loot boxes.
Call of Duty relied on loot boxes for a long time, so-called supply drops, and was practically one of the leading providers, if you will. With Modern Warfare 2019, they switched to premium bundles with set contents, and loot boxes disappeared completely. And success returned.
In retrospect, I want to agree with the then CFO of EA. Loot boxes can be fun and rewarding when used correctly. However, the industry lost a lot of trust back then because they pushed the boundaries – “How much money can be made from this?”.
This is still being paid for today, as new technologies suffer because back then there was a desperate attempt to maximize profit. With Battlefront 2 in mind, the skepticism towards NFTs and blockchain in gaming is absolutely understandable.
Leave your opinion on loot boxes and write a comment on the topic. Did you also feel that Battlefront 2 was an awesome game that was somewhat ruined by the loot boxes?
