Tom Phillips wrote:http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-11-20-lucasfilm-reacts-to-star-wars-battlefront-2-loot-crate-controversy
Lucasfilm has weighed in with its reaction to the Star Wars Battlefront 2 loot crate controversy.
A Lucasfilm spokesperson said the production company supported EA's decision to withdraw (for now) the ability to spend money in-game. "Star Wars has always been about the fans," Lucasfilm stated, "and whether it's Battlefront or any other Star Wars experience, they come first. "That's why we support EA's decision to temporarily remove in-game payments to address fan concerns."
Star Wars is, of course, gearing up for the launch of its next big blockbuster episode. The Last Jedi opens in UK cinemas on 14th December, and Battlefront 2 has been designed as part of that big marketing push. The game has a big free update due to hit alongside the film, as well as featuring characters and locales from the story so far. Anything to jeopardize Disney's launch of the potentially billion dollar-making film would surely set execs on edge.
This morning, we learned the number of Battlefront 2 boxed copies sold at launch was down 60 per cent on 2015's Battlefront 1. Some of this difference (optimistically, perhaps as much as 30 per cent) will be made up by the move to digital downloads - but there's simply no way Battlefront 2 will have come close to matching its predecessor's sales, despite being a far bigger package.
Will EA with Disney's backing eventually bring the Loot Crates back? This link offers a better solution:
Robert Purchese wrote:http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-11-17-how-to-fix-star-wars-battlefront-2
As long as you can buy a gameplay advantage it will be wrong. It doesn't work and it won't. Stop farting about, EA, and let DICE rip it out. Don't just lower the senseless unlock fee for heroes like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker - remove it. I genuinely love your Heroes vs. Villains mode, but only having half the roster available because you need credits to unlock the others is ridiculous. This is Star Wars - you picked it! - and playing as those heroes is the fantasy. It's why people spend £50 on your game. Don't abuse our enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, reduce loot crates to cosmetic items. If you have to have them, make their contents superficial and optional. There's a mountain of Star Wars inspiration to draw on! I understand this is complicated by Disney, the strict owner of Star Wars, which needs to approve every detail, but again, you picked Star Wars - if you want to make more money out of us, deal with it.
Why not budget against the £50 we're paying for the game and then, months down the line, start talking about us funding ongoing development with some paid content? And don't waggle free Season Pass content at us - lovely as it is - as justification for your insidious loot crates, because yours isn't a free-to-play game, and even by those standards your system stinks. There's a reason those games dodge pay-to-win associations like the plague.