I think the games media is overegging this one a bit, frankly. The 60k credit unlock for Luke and Vader was a steep, yes, but at least there's no fucking season pass. EA's quarterly DLC releases have totally fucked the Battlefield and Battlefront communities these past years and they've FINALLY removed the paid DLC aspect of their release schedule. This is big, and good news

It's a cynical bait-and-switch, and the MMO industry have perfected this over years.

Release something that really shouldn't have a price associated with it at all, at a massively inflated price.
Wait for the public outcry, then lower the price to make it look like you're doing the userbase a favour.

Works every time.

Belgian website VTM is reporting that the country’s Gaming Commission is currently taking a look at loot boxes in video games, with particular focus on EA’s inclusion of them in Star Wars: Battlefront II and Blizzard’s use in Overwatch.

Peter Naessens, General Director of the commission, says that the practice of buying the add-on boxes—where you don’t know what you’re paying for until you open it—may constitute gambling.

It’s a particular concern for the Commission when the game is available for and marketed towards children, like Overwatch and Battlefront II are (in Europe both titles have a PEGI rating of 12).

Naessens says loot box systems can be a particular danger to minors because of the societal pressure to spend more money to (in Battlefront’s case, at least) boost their strength. VTM reports that if loot boxes were indeed found to be a form of gambling then the Gaming Commission would need to provide a permit (it’s illegal to operate a gambling business in Belgium without one).

NFS Payback rewards, practically a slot machine



edit: words

Having multiple governments looking into your business model will do that.

I'm wondering, with the apparent ease micro-transactions were turned off, has EA prepared for this scenario?

Back in 2012 EA allegedly fired the creator of Plants vs Zombies for refusing to implement pay2win mechanics in PvZ2

http://mp1st.com/news/plants-vs-zombies ... win-system

In short, those sources said, Fan’s ethos as an indie game developer conflicted with the new corporate structure of EA, which had purchased Popcap in the summer of 2011. He didn’t mesh well with the massive corporation. It was true that Fan didn’t want to make “freemium” games, the sources said, but he wasn’t working on Plants vs. Zombies 2—he was working on other projects. Fan lost interest in Plants vs. Zombies when EA began envisioning it as a massive franchise, the sources said, and he spent time on new ideas, like a game with the brilliant title Full Contact Bingo. When it became clear that Popcap’s future would revolve around making free-to-play games with microtransactions, Fan no longer fit in.

We learned last week that Belgium's gambling authority was investigating loot crates in Star Wars Battlefront II over concerns that they constitute gambling. Now, the decision is in, and the answer is a resounding yes, according to Dutch-language publication VTM Nieuws. The commission claims that purchasable add-on boxes, the contents of which are randomized, mix "money and addiction" and thus are a form of gambling.

Belgian Minister of Justice Koen Geens added: "Mixing gambling and gaming, especially at a young age, is dangerous for the mental health of the child." The commission will now reportedly work through the European Union's process to execute a total ban.