Star Wars Battlefield 2 Loot System Stirs up Controversy

Following the success of the Star Wars Battlefield 2 beta, EA recently announced that users would be able to enjoy the game for a few more days past than originally planned. On the surface of it, this was a move that most gamers would be thrilled with due to the overwhelmingly positive reviews that the game has received thus far. However, the stand-out features of the game such as new class systems and maps and characters from all three Star Wars eras have been overshadowed by criticism over the game’s loot crate system. For those who are unaware with the term, loot crates contain many different digital goodies such as new weapons, ability systems and other special items which are all designed to give you an edge over your opponents.

Loot crates are becoming more and more prevalent in modern-day titles and can usually be purchased by using in-game credits or, as Battlefield 2 allows, spending your real hard-earned money to purchase them outright. The system was made popular by Overwatch last year, which employed a system where users could only purchase cosmetic items, i.e items which don’t directly affect the the outcome of the game such as victory poses or new outfits. By making it possible to purchase loot crates with real money as opposed to accumulated in-game credits, this essentially means that you’re able to gain an immediate advantage over an opponent who is as skilled as you but didn’t open his/her wallet.

John Bain, a popular YouTuber, has equated the system employed in Star Wars Battlefield 2 and a number of other EA titles as a ‘form of gambling’ and says that the ERSB rating of the game should be bumped up from teen rated to mature because of this fact. Online casino sites have long used all real cash deposits using 24-bit encryption owing to the convenience it provides users with. Online casino review sites have even been created to help players find sites with the most suitable banking and bonus options. However, such systems are rarely employed in video games, especially in a game licensed by Star Wars, which is likely to appeal to a wide and varied demographic. EA have recently confirmed that loot crates are completely random and so whilst you’re not guaranteed to open a more ‘valuable’ box just because you’ve spent real money, there’s still a sense of unease about the whole situation amongst the gaming community.

It’s important to remember what we’re seeing is simply a beta and with the final game hitting stores across the US on November 17th, there’s still time for EA to tweak the game accordingly if they should choose to do so. Ubisoft have recently announced that whilst Assassin’s Creed: Origins will contain loot boxes, players won’t be required to fork out real cash to purchase them and will instead naturally acquire them throughout the game as unlockable features. Considering that this announcement seems to have gone down extremely well with the large majority of the gaming community, EA may well eventually go down a similar route in a bid to get people talking about the finer points of Battlefront, which, by all accounts, seem to be fairly impressive at first glance.

Source: Assassin’s Creed Origins via Facebook