When Star Wars Battlefront II officially releases worldwide today, it will do so without its controversial microtransactions.
Posting on its official website, Electronic Arts (EA) noted that “challenges in the design” have resulted in severe concerns about players gaining unfair advantages through the payment system.
Hence, all manner of in-game purchases have been disabled from the game. This means that the option to purchase Crystals (real-world currency) will be offline and all progression will be earned entirely through traditional gameplay.
“We hear you loud and clear, so we’re turning off all in-game purchases,” general manager of DICE, Oskar Gabrielson, stated. “We will now spend more time listening, adjusting, balancing and tuning.”
However, the decision is only temporary. EA will bring back microtransactions “at a later date” when it has made unspecified “changes” to the game. The developer has promised to keep the community updated in the coming weeks on what it has in mind for a more balanced progression system.
“We have created a game that is built on your input, and it will continue to evolve and grow,” Gabrielson concluded. “We want you to enjoy it, so please keep your thoughts coming. And we will keep you updated on our progress.”
According to VentureBeat, the heads of both EA and Disney, Andrew Wilson and Bob Iger, spoke on the phone earlier today about Star Wars Battlefront II before the surprising decision was announced. It is likely that they discussed ways through which to neutralize the backlash that has been hounding the sequel since the weekend.
Star Wars Battlefront II is scheduled to release on November 17 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
