Anthem Won't Have Loot Boxes, EA Confirms

Anthem will have monetization options for optional purchases but will not include loot boxes, EA confirmed today during EA Play.

With all eyes on Anthem today during EA's conference that took place just before E3, players were waiting on gameplay details, a release date, and anything else that EA could offer about the game. After showing off some scenes and talking about the upcoming Anthem, EA took questions from Twitter users. One user was quick to hammer EA with questions about how the monetization system will work in Anthem. The presenters were met with rounds of applause and cheers when they stated that there would be the optional purchases included, but no loot boxes will be found in Anthem.

Speaking about the monetization system that's currently planned for Anthem, the game's creators said that players can look forward to optional purchases that include cosmetics and "vanity items" as they were described. When you're purchasing these items, they added that you'll always know exactly what you're getting from them since there will be no loot box features involved. The devs also stressed that the items you get from these purchases won't affect gameplay in any way, so you won't be able to pay your way to a high-powered arsenal since there are no pay-to-win options.

There was quite a bit of speculation about the game's loot boxes considering what happened with Star Wars Battlefront II. Not long ago, analyst Michael Pachter speculated on the outcome of the loot box system and said that the loot boxes would contain only cosmetics, but it appears that's not the case.

"So the question for Anthem is, will EA screw it up like with Star Wars?" Pachter said. "Or will they follow the Overwatch and Destiny roadmap, where the actual game is fun to play and the payments are ancillary? Because where they got into trouble with Star Wars was in making it pay to win. Had they limited themselves to purely cosmetic items, I don't think anyone would have said anything. So Anthem has the potential to be Destiny like in terms of game experience, and Overwatch like in terms of microtransactions offered, where it's all cosmetic and no one bats an eye."

Others who sounded off on Twitter not long after the announcement – including Michael Gamble, producer for Anthem – to share the no-loot box news.

Anthem has no loot boxes, but it does have an amazing new world for you to explore and immerse yourself into.

— Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) June 9, 2018

Anthem is scheduled to be release on February 22.