Star Wars: Battlefront II Devs Respond to Pay-to-win Concerns

EA has stepped in to address some player concerns with Star Wars: Battlefront II's microtransactions that some are calling out as pay-to-win purchases.

Over the past few weeks amid demos and other reveals, players were quick to pick up on a system in Star Wars: Battlefront II that was filled with microtransactions, Star Cards, and loot boxes, a randomized loot option that's growing to be more and more infamous in recent games. While other games will offer cosmetics and other unlockables in loot boxes that don't affect the flow of gameplay too much, Star Wars: Battlefront II is set to include different upgrades within its boxes. This could potentially lead to players netting some powerful enhancements by shelling out more cash than their online competitors, a system that certainly stinks of pay-to-win.

EA spoke to GameSpot recently about the understandable concerns from players and said that DICE, the developer of Star Wars: Battlefront II's multiplayer, has been taking "great care" when it comes to making player-centered options regarding the loot system and microtransactions.

"DICE has taken great care to make sure that Star Cards and the way they work give you more options in battle," said Chris Matthews, the art director at EA Motive, the devs responsible for Star Wars: Battlefront II's campaign. "Terms like pay-to-win and stuff like that are hard to dodge, but the guys are doing a really incredible job of trying to balance that system."

Matthew certainly isn't shrugging off players' qualms, instead saying that the dev teams understand the concerns as well. Saying that the "pay-to-win" term is "hard to dodge" might not be too reassuring, but the fact that everyone involved is a gamer should be more reassuring.

"[The response] is not annoying because we love the fans," he continued. "We're gamers and we're trying to make something that's super-compelling that everybody's going to enjoy, but, you know, it's understandable."

The devs also said that the beta was for situations exactly like this so that they could see what needed to change before the release, but no word on what might be altered was provided.