The Star Wars: Battlefront 2 video game fell significantly short of sales exceptions amid the ongoing controversy about so-called ‘pay-to-win’ in-game purchases.
EA has confirmed the high-profile sequel sold 9 million copies from November 12 until December 31, when it had expected to shift up to 12 million copies.
During the same time period in 2015, Star Wars: Battlefront sold 14 million games, so it’s a notable drop off for the crucial IP.
Considering this was a much larger game than the original in terms of scale, with the dedicated single-player campaign mode missing from the first instalment, the poor sales will be a huge disappointment to Electronic Arts.
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It’s impossible to say for sure whether the shortfall can be attributed to the loot crate controversy, which players alleged gave an unfair advantage to those willing to splash extra out for in-game purchases.
Today, we turned off in-game purchases for #StarWarsBattlefrontII. The game is built on your input, and it will continue to evolve and grow. Read the full update: https://t.co/asGASaYXVp pic.twitter.com/vQSOmsWRgk
— EAStarWars (@EAStarWars) November 17, 2017
EA withdrew micro transactions completely following a massive online backlash. Today, EA CEO Andrew Wilson called the experience a “learning opportunity” (via VentureBeat)
Gamers who stuck to their principles and boycotted the game over the loot crate controversy will hope their stand has compelled EA — and the industry at large — into a more serious rethink.
Of course, the loot crate controversy may not be entirely to blame. The first game was a disappointment, meaning there was less anticipation for the sequel, even if some of the flaws were addressed well in BF2.
The new game has also struggled to gain critical acclaim, but in some cases that’s more down to the controversy than the quality of the gameplay.
In his 6/10 review, our own Brett Phipps wrote: “Star Wars Battlefront 2 is a great game spoiled by a terrible business model. DICE and EA are going to be under a huge amount of pressure not just to tweak, but completely overhaul the metagame or face an even bigger fan backlash than they have already.”
Did you boycott Battlefront II? Do you feel vindicated today? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
