In the last few weeks, EA (Electronic Arts) has been getting harsh feedback from its fans concerning its latest release, Star Wars Battlefront II. While the game was highly anticipated and praised for its quality graphics and intense gameplay, the game is now being heavily criticized because of the microtransactions involved with the game.

Already carrying a full price tag of $59.99, the game’s microtransactions include loot boxes and buyable in-game currency.

Loot boxes are already an issue for games, as it has started to be compared to gambling. Many worry that the gambling influence of “just opening one more” of the buyable loot boxes which generate random in-game perks may be a bad influence on the children playing these games. Some governments are actually taking steps to institute laws regarding loot boxes and in-game transactions which resemble gambling, in order to regulate them, especially when they could affect the young.

The buyable currency allows players to pay money in order to get this currency and unlock certain characters and items which give them a significant edge in the game. While everything can technically be obtained through normal gameplay unlocks, the amount of time necessary to do so was calculated to be somewhere around +2,000 hours of gameplay. This has caused there to be much backlash on the game’s company, as it becomes similar to a pay-to-play game, where it would be necessary to spend even more money than the full-price tag in order to even stand a chance in the game.

Disney itself has started to notice the fan’s backlash on the game and the company. Their concern lies in their ownership of everything Star Wars. Perhaps this can lead to some change for the game that is sparking such animosity.

Everybody knows---don’t anger the mouse-

-Marty