It appears that the removal of microtransactions in Star Wars Battlefront 2 was only temporary. A recent interview with EA's finance chief reveals that microtransactions are expected to return to the game within the next few months.
Finance Chief Blake Jorgensen offered no exact date for the return of microtransactions to Star Wars Battlefront 2, just that they will be released "when we think it's ready." It's also unclear if they will be identical to their former existence as loot boxes. As of two months ago, Jorgensen claimed that EA was still deciding whether or not to bring back microtransactions while speaking at the 37th Nasdaq Investor Conference. However, it would seem that EA has now made up its mind, and it's only a matter of time before microtransactions make a comeback.
Gamers, Star Wars fans, parents, and even some politicians came out in force against EA's microtransactions for a variety of reasons. Some felt that it gave unfair advantages to those who were willing to open their wallets, while others were outraged that in order to have a 'complete experience,' they would either have to pay far more than the base price of the game or devote thousands of hours to playing it to unlock everything. Some parents also banded together to dissuade EA and Disney from releasing a Star Wars game that encourages gambling.
According to the same report, the anger regarding microtransactions seemingly did have a negative impact on EA. EA initially offered a conservative sales estimate of 10 million units for Star Wars Battlefront 2, yet only managed to move 9 million. It's quite possible that even fewer units would have sold if EA hadn't quickly responded to the outcry and altered its stance on microtransactions as rapidly as it did.
Unfortunately for gamers, microtransactions don't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. While a recent analyst report suggests that microtransactions will become less aggressive, that will likely not be enough to satisfy most players who have been subjected to them. While EA has no doubt put some time and thought into altering its microtransactions to avoid upsetting its playerbase, it may nonetheless reignite the fervor that forced EA to remove them in the first place.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Twitter