As the debate surrounding loot boxes and microtransactions continues to rage, the company at the center of it, EA, has once again commented on the issue that arose with the launch of Star Wars Battlefront II. In a recent investors’ call following the company’s quarter three fiscal report, CEO Andrew Wilson called the backlash surrounding the game a “learning opportunity” for the company.
“This was definitely a learning opportunity,” Wilson said. “You’ll remember that we brought three of our top studios together on this project, and the result was a massive game with a new Star Wars story, space battles, and huge multiplayer variety.”
According to Wilson, the company wanted a game that met the needs of the passionate Star Wars fanbase, referring to the fact that DLC was offered without the need to buy a Season Pass. However, the inclusion of loot boxes and the concept behind them quickly angered the community, resulting in a lot of negative feedback that EA is obviously still trying to deal with.
Speaking to that, Wilson said the team is “fortunate” to have such a passionate fanbase. “We are fortunate to have such passionate players that will tell us when we get it right, and when we don’t. We’re now working hard on more updates that will meet the needs of our players, and we hope to bring these to the Battlefront II community in the months ahead.”
The conversation around loot boxes will no doubt continue to go on, but it is a bit heartening to see a company like EA trying to listen as best they can to their fanbase on the issue.
