EA’s ‘Star Wars’ PR disaster finally pushed gamers into open revolt against loot boxes

It’s not even out yet, and Star Wars: Battlefront II is already a bad video game. Or if nothing else, it’s the public relations equivalent of the Chernobyl disaster.

Blame the loot boxes. Everyone knew they were a problem coming out of the public beta last month. Even publisher Electronic Arts acknowledged it — “We’ve listened to your feedback,” a post-beta update from DICE, the game’s developer, read — and pledged to fix the situation.

Battlefront II, loot boxes, and you

So here’s the simple(-ish) explanation for how things work now: The online multiplayer mode in Battlefront II is filled with things for you to unlock, including weapons, abilities, and cosmetics like emotes and victory poses. Those can all be earned randomly from loot boxes, which you purchase using one of two different kinds of currency. They can then be upgraded using a third form of currency. Read more…

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