EA Is Now Ironically Stuck With $60 'Battlefront 2' And No Good Way To Re-Monetize It - Sensationalist Headlines

[QUOTE]I’m not sure I understand how EA can say in an SEC filing that “this change is not expected to have a material impact on EA’s fiscal year 2018 financial guidance,” when the following is true: We don’t have all the early numbers yet, but it’s likely that $60 box/digital sales will be down from BF1 to BF2 after all this, which we are already seeing in a few markets. And Battlefront 2 was not being sold with an expensive season pass like the first game, given that it was switching its microtransaction model to be entirely loot box-based. There’s no way to switch back, though. Can you imagine the outcry if DICE said it was going to start charging for upcoming maps and heroes as a replacement microtransaction for loot boxes? That would be catastrophic. Similarly, it’s hard to see how progression or power-based loot boxes could come back at all. It’s not like they can just flip the switch back on and have everything cost 75% less as a solution. That would restart the outcry all over again, because it would be all the same issues, just at a fire sale price. I've also heard rumors about "boosts" being sold for increased currency gain, but if those are paired with the current loot box system, that's still going to be problematic. Honestly, I’m not even sure if Battlefront 2 can go back to the concept of loot boxes at all after what’s happened here. Even if the pool was changed to being entirely cosmetic items, with news stories about government legislatures looking at Battlefront 2 as a “Star Wars casino aimed at children,” putting any kind of randomized, purchasable loot box back into the game after all this seems like it wouldn’t quell that firestorm. Does it matter if kids are gambling for increased TIE fighter damage or a legendary Luke Skywalker skin? Probably not. The sweet, sweet irony of all this is that EA has essentially gotten itself stuck back in the stone ages, where you sold a game for $60, and that was it. They can’t charge for DLC they already promised would be free. They can’t reintroduce the same loot boxes. They might not even be able to do cosmetic loot boxes. They’re stuck with trying to get people to pay a flat $60 for the game with no real way to reintroduce “games as service” monetization without sparking a second inferno among fans and making legislators look at them even more closely. [/QUOTE] [url]https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2017/11/24/ea-is-now-ironically-stuck-with-60-battlefront-2-and-no-good-way-to-re-monetize-it/#58825afa1753[/url]

I think I'm probably the only person on the internet at this point that still wants this game to do well. Loot boxes are the cancer of the games industry don't get me wrong. But the core game here is amazing and if this results in them abandoning the game that they previously promised to support with new content for 12 months then that is a real shame for those of us who actually genuinely love the gameplay.

[quote]They can’t charge for DLC they already promised would be free. They can’t reintroduce the same loot boxes. They might not even be able to do cosmetic loot boxes.[/quote] Right, sure, of course, they'd [i]never[/i] do any of those...

[QUOTE=Snowmew;52921477]Right, sure, of course, they'd [i]never[/i] do any of those...[/QUOTE] Not if they have any desire to avoid getting fucked over harder than they're already getting they won't.

[QUOTE=Gizmodo456;52921469]I think I'm probably the only person on the internet at this point that still wants this game to do well. Loot boxes are the cancer of the games industry don't get me wrong. But the core game here is amazing and if this results in them abandoning the game that they previously promised to support with new content for 12 months then that is a real shame for those of us who actually genuinely love the gameplay.[/QUOTE] I want the game to do well, for sure. I love Star Wars and honestly I enjoyed the first Battlefront and saw it as a building block for a better game, which this could have been. But I also want EA to burn to the ground.

[QUOTE=Gizmodo456;52921469]I think I'm probably the only person on the internet at this point that still wants this game to do well. Loot boxes are the cancer of the games industry don't get me wrong. But the core game here is amazing and if this results in them abandoning the game that they previously promised to support with new content for 12 months then that is a real shame for those of us who actually genuinely love the gameplay.[/QUOTE] I would absolutely [I]love[/I] if the game did really well. I don't play, nor care about it myself, but to send the message that removing ridiculous monetization is a positive thing would be good.

um one key point the author is missing. that entire article relies on EA actually giving a damn and upholding a decision that puts a strain on their future revanue streams. They do not. when things cool down and the majority of their outraged fanbase has left the game they will revert the loot system but they will do so in a way that they can incrementally ramp it up. As for impending lawsuits from various overseas markets, they are but a small fish compared to many other games both in market share and profits, they have many years before the law catches up to the game, which ea will have abandoned the game and moved on by then.

I'm staying out of MP until the TLJ DLC hits. I've just been grabbing my daily free crate and playing Custom Arcade. The game is fun, at least when everyone is even. The Beta, and the EA Access periods were great because everyone was on mostly even grounds.

[QUOTE=Gizmodo456;52921469]I think I'm probably the only person on the internet at this point that still wants this game to do well. Loot boxes are the cancer of the games industry don't get me wrong. But the core game here is amazing and if this results in them abandoning the game that they previously promised to support with new content for 12 months then that is a real shame for those of us who actually genuinely love the gameplay.[/QUOTE] I'm sure most people would've wanted this game to be good and to do well. I'd personally love to see EA redeem themselves and just make a solid title without any scummy business models and progression hampering. But unless they do some overhauling, BF2 isn't gonna last.

[QUOTE=Snowmew;52921477]Right, sure, of course, they'd [i]never[/i] do any of those...[/QUOTE] Making dlc pay would at best require a refund to every european due to the promise, and at worst, get them in legal hot water in europe.

If EA had just made the game without the horrible loot box based progression and sold some cosmetic skin packs they'd be racking it in now and nobody would even care. But they just tried to get as much money out of people as possible at the expense of people's enjoyment of the game, and now it's backfiring hard on them and making them a loss. [QUOTE=Crimor;52921493]Making dlc pay would at best require a refund to every european due to the promise, and at worst, get them in legal hot water in europe.[/QUOTE] Plus free post-release DLC was one of the big positive points of the game back when it was first announced. If they went back on their promise now they'd utterly obliterate what little scraps of goodwill they still have from people and ultimately do themselves more harm than good.

Are they losing money everytime they sell a copy or what the fuck?

[QUOTE=Megadave;52921509]Are they losing money everytime they sell a copy or what the fuck?[/QUOTE] No, they're just making less than what they told their shareholders.

I don't know why you guys want this game to do well, if it was a good game with a good progression system and none of EA's dirt on it, but it doesn't. The game shouldn't make EA a penny as far as I'm concerned.

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52921519]I don't know why you guys want this game to do well, if it was a good game with a good progression system and none of EA's dirt on it, but it doesn't. The game shouldn't make EA a penny as far as I'm concerned.[/QUOTE] I want it to do well if it is fixed.

[QUOTE=Tuskin;52921521]I want it to do well if it is fixed.[/QUOTE] But even if they fix it, EA will still be EA and they'll still want to keep pushing these kind of business practices in the future.

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52921523]But even if they fix it, EA will still be EA and they'll still want to keep pushing these kind of business practices in the future.[/QUOTE] Not if we keep fighting it.

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52921523]But even if they fix it, EA will still be EA and they'll still want to keep pushing these kind of business practices in the future.[/QUOTE] If you'd said this two weeks ago I'd have believed you, but after seeing what's happened since launch week I can't really picture EA just carrying on from this like nothing's happened. Or that people would even let them.

[QUOTE=Wormy;52921549]As long as consumers make a clear stance on this bullshit then EA should eventually lose money out of using their bad practices.[/QUOTE] Eventually, hopefully. But we're not there yet, and I don't believe we'll be there within the lifespan of Battlefront 2.

Maybe Disney will take the Star Wars IP from them. The fact that a Star Wars game is at the epicenter of this isn't a good look for them.

[QUOTE=Hatley;52921657]Maybe Disney will take the Star Wars IP from them. The fact that a Star Wars game is at the epicenter of this isn't a good look for them.[/QUOTE] I don't know, they 100% signed off on the bullshit. From a business point of view not taking advantage of that hot star wars money is absolutely ridiculous. The most likely course of events is Disney loses their shit at EA, and then it all falls back on DICE.

If they [I]really[/I] want microtransactions, they could add fairly basic direct cosmetic microtransactions. Titanfall 2 does that, and it's fine. [QUOTE=Sableye;52921486]um one key point the author is missing. that entire article relies on EA actually giving a damn and upholding a decision that puts a strain on their future revanue streams. They do not. when things cool down and the majority of their outraged fanbase has left the game they will revert the loot system but they will do so in a way that they can incrementally ramp it up. As for impending lawsuits from various overseas markets, they are but a small fish compared to many other games both in market share and profits, they have many years before the law catches up to the game, which ea will have abandoned the game and moved on by then.[/QUOTE] I don't see how they could do that when the outrage has been so catastrophically violent. The bad press here is comparable to things like night trap or hot coffee or the femfreq thing, the outside world actually gives half of a damn about it. That's a big deal. It's possible that they could try it again at a later date with another game, but reintroducing micros at a point in BF2's life where it will actually matter is so cynical I honestly don't believe it's realistic. [editline]25th November 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=Hatley;52921657]Maybe Disney will take the Star Wars IP from them. The fact that a Star Wars game is at the epicenter of this isn't a good look for them.[/QUOTE] I still can't think of a AAA developer that I'm more comfortable with taking the Star Wars license than someone like DICE or Respawn. You could have Disney directly licensing it out to slightly smaller developers again, maybe- but I feel like they probably want the spectacle that larger devs like DICE can hash out.

Apparently disney's not keen on cosmetic microtransactions because then it might look less star wars, but I think only the imperials/droid army and the clones at the very outbreak of the war were completely uniform. I think they've got a ton of space to work with though. Custom Jedi, Custom bounty hunters (oh if they ever do the civil war on mandalore...) The two of those could be in a world of money (Wanna throw a hundred bucks down for a purple lightsaber?) A fair few heroes could have quite a few skins. There's no end to the money where star wars is concerned. The collective might've had a backlash, but there are still suckers there, especially for star wars. Alec Guinness was right.

[QUOTE=Simplemac3;52921696]If they [I]really[/I] want microtransactions, they could add fairly basic direct cosmetic microtransactions. Titanfall 2 does that, and it's fine. [/QUOTE] Hell even BF1's lootboxes were purely cosmetics.

Just take the exclusive license off EA's perverted hands and i'll buy the games and support them if it's fun and the business model is fair and ethical. I love Star Wars. Star Wars Battlefront 2 (the good one) and Star Wars Battlegrounds are 2 of my favorite games ever. And I [I]want[/I] to love the new battlefront games. But every decision EA and Dice went against that and seriously make all of modern Star Wars feel like a cash grab. I'm not even sure i'll go watch the new movies if modern Star Wars translates to mobile games inspired pay to win glorified gambling. How can they pretend caring about what made Star Wars good in the first place if they exploit people's affection for the universe to get them addicted to greedy cynical systems like the shit EA tried to pull. "Well we pissed off everyone who actually cares about having a good experience, but that's fine because parents will still buy it to their kids this christmas and we'll still trap a lot of fans into our money machine anyway". How cynical is that shit. A billion $ profit isn't enough you understand, they [I]needed[/I] to fuck the franchise even more. I miss the LucasArts days so much.

They aren't really stuck. If I had a guess they might just think about a new way to reintroduce the lootboxes in a slightly less pushing way and maybe redo some parts of the upgrade/progression along with it. In the end its all "sold" to the players as the "great rework patch". Not exactly sure how well that goes for EA and how far they would have to loose out on lootbox sales in the rework but it would be a possible way at least.

Idk EA might do lootboxes for other games but I think its done as far as Battlefront 2 goes. Major news outlets calling it out for what it is, predatory practices and gambling, made Disney real nervous having those associated with their Star Wars brand.

Because god forbid if you spend $60+ on a game you actually get to play the damn thing without any bulllshit thrown on top.

Imagine how much fucking money theyd be making if they just remastered the original games

Honestly at this point if people still think EA's just going to carry on with putting gameplay bits in loot boxes like before as if nothing's happened they're being incredibly pessimistic. They're not going to "sneak loot boxes back in" because now they outright [I]cannot[/I] do that - not when there are so many eyes on them eagerly watching their next move now. EA are no longer in a position where they can afford to weather any further backlash, especially when there's already some evidence starting to suggest BFII might ultimately end up making them less than they hoped for as a consequence of the huge backlash it's already received.