The past 48 hours have been a nightmare for EA’s community managers and marketing teams. After a Reddit user calculated the time it would take player’s to unlock top tier characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, the community revolted. Based on EA Access trial data and statistics calculated by mass Loot Box opening videos, this user found that it would take a player 37.5 hours of playtime to earn enough credits to unlock their favorite characters. One reason is because EA and DICE decided to make XP earned by playtime, not individual skill or effect. This made the math very easily to calculate as most matches were about 10-12 minutes.

These findings quickly spread through multiple gaming subreddits. Yesterday, a separate user posted in the r/StarWarsBattlefront saying he felt betrayed by EA since he spent “$80 to have Vader locked?” Further, he called the practice “disusting and this age of microtransactions has gone way too far.” What came next broke broke Reddit records. The offical EA Community Team account commented what would become the most downvoted comment on Reddit.

The intent is to provide players with a sense of pride and accomplishment for unlocking different heroes. As for cost, we selected initial values based upon data from the Open Beta and other adjustments made to milestone rewards before launch. Among other things, we’re looking at average per-player credit earn rates on a daily basis, and we’ll be making constant adjustments to ensure that players have challenges that are compelling, rewarding, and of course attainable via gameplay. We appreciate the candid feedback, and the passion the community has put forth around the current topics here on Reddit, our forums and across numerous social media outlets. Our team will continue to make changes and monitor community feedback and update everyone as soon and as often as we can.

The downvotes weren’t the end of players upset. Many called for a boycott of the gaming, calling this an important moment in the history of the games industry. Too many games, such as GTA 5, have put a priority to Microtransactions and Lootboxes, while ignoring content. Today, EA put out a statement saying that they would drastically reduce the credits needed to unlock Heroes in Star Wars Battlefront 2.

There’s been a lot of discussion around the amount of in-game credits (and time) it takes to unlock some of our heroes, especially Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Unlocking a hero is a great accomplishment in the game, something we want players to have fun earning. We used data from the beta to help set those levels, but it’s clear that more changes were needed. So, we’re reducing the amount of credits needed to unlock the top heroes by 75%. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader will now be available for 15,000 credits; Emperor Palpatine, Chewbacca, and Leia Organa for 10,000 credits; and Iden at 5,000 credits. Based on what we’ve seen in the trial, this amount will make earning these heroes an achievement, but one that will be accessible for all players.

It will be interesting to see if this is enough for fans. Or will they keep up the boycott until well after release. Money is what matters and if business reports come out publicly, this is a warning signs to all publishers and developers going forward.

Source: EA Blog

For more – Cole H.