EA was accused of defending the most predatory scheme in gaming back in 2017. It faced a lot of criticism during that time after the release of Star Wars: Battlefront 2. EA tried to justify its actions in the comments of a Reddit post, which backfired heavily on itself.
EA was subjected to a lot of shame at the time as it included a predatory scheme in its game to earn more money. This attempt by the studio was quickly called out, and amends were made for the future.
EA Holds The World Record For The Most Downvoted Comment
The most downvoted comment in the history of downvoting is that of EA justifying its actions in Star Wars: Battlefront 2, released in 2017. The comment entered the 2020 Guinness World Record for the most downvoted comment ever.
EA faced a lot of criticism during the release of its 2017 title, Star Wars: Battlefront 2. The game featured loot boxes that were available for sale to upgrade oneself in the game. A pay-to-win strategy is never appreciated in the gaming community.
Many studios often exploit microtransactions to keep a steady flow of income. However, these transactions sometimes result in upgrades that are otherwise impossible to gain, disturbing the balance of a game. This is why these transactions are not appreciated, especially with live-service games.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 had all the major characters, including Princess Lea, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader, locked behind purchasable loot, infuriating the players. One player took to Reddit to call out the same.
Seriously? I paid 80$ to have Vader locked?
byu/MBMMaverick inStarWarsBattlefront
EA justified its actions by talking about how purchasing a character instills a sense of pride and accomplishment in players and thanked the users for their candid feedback. This comment by the studio was heavily bashed to the extent that it made the Guinness Book of World Records.
Made it to the Guinness book of world records, 2020
byu/-amsha- inStarWars
The comment by the studio got a record-breaking 6.83,000 downvotes, which no one had ever witnessed before.
A Pay-To-Win Strategy Should Never Be Justified
Exploitation of microtransactions in gaming has never been more prevalent than it is now. It is something that should be drawn out from the roots to create a wholesome and balanced gaming community.
Microtransactions pave the way for rich players to get an unfair advantage in the game regardless of their skillset. This imbalance has resulted in the failure of a lot of games in the past and will continue to do so until the practice is completely eradicated.
These unfair means of increasing one’s strength in the game have never been accepted and appreciated by players, as it lays the groundwork for many differences to rise in the future.
The criticism faced by EA for justifying the game’s microtransactions is the biggest example of why the implementation of the same should be stopped and uprooted entirely. What do you think about microtransactions in games? Let us know in the comments below.
