Star Wars Battlefront 2 won’t immediately transition to cosmetic loot boxes, but EA CFO Blake Jorgensen says talks are happening to introduce them, as long as Lucasfilm considers them canon to the film universe. The statement came during Jorgensen’s recent remarks at the Credit Suisse Conference, via GamesIndustry.biz.
The sudden removal of Battlefront 2’s microtransactions, just hours before the game’s launch, prompted questions about why such a popular game would emphasize Star Card loot box progression as opposed to the proven success in selling cosmetics. Jorgensen noted issues with canon licensing may hold them back.
"The one thing we're very focused on and they're extremely focused on is not violating the canon of Star Wars," Jorgensen said. "It's an amazing brand that's been built over many, many years. So if you did a bunch of cosmetic things, you might start to violate the canon. Darth Vader in white probably doesn't make sense, versus in black. Not to mention you probably don't want Darth Vader in pink. No offense to pink, but I don't think that's right in the canon."
Presumably, any cosmetics will draw from what fans have seen in the films. Heroes like Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia, for example, have donned many different looks over the years. Skins based on specific movies, moments and eras would make a lot of sense when devising a microtransaction scheme players can learn to appreciate.
To those ends, Jorgensen made it clear that in-game payments will eventually return to Battlefront 2 in a fairly big way. “"We're not giving up on the notion of MTX," Jorgensen reiterated. "We're learning and listening to the community in terms of how best to roll that out in the future, and there's more to come as we learn more.” The CFO said he hopes his teams can learn from the success of in-game payments coming from the EA Sports portfolio. That being said, he also admitted a different model may be more appropriate for the publisher’s non-sports software.
Jorgensen’s contradict earlier statements made by Lucasfilm gaming boss Douglas Reilly in a post-launch interview with GamesBeat. “I can’t think of anything that would be a continuity concern, as much as it is—we just want to make sure people are having a great Star Wars experience, at the end of the day,” Reilly suggested. It’s also hard to ignore the Battlefront series routinely violates canon by having cross-trilogy characters like Darth Maul, Boba Fett and Rey share the same arena on any given planet.
These contradictions exist amongst a sea of rumors that Lucasfilm pulled the plug on a cosmetic-focused mode and that cosmetics may figure heavily into future monetization for the game. No matter how you slice it, the Battlefront 2 saga gets more confusing the longer it carries on.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 is available now on PS4, Xbox One and PC with several free DLC drops due next month.
What are your thoughts on the canon nature of skins in Star Wars Battlefront 2? Why are we getting two opposing perspectives on the matter? Tell us in the comments section!
- Amazing story
- Gorgeous visuals and top-notch audio
- Multiplayer decisions ruin the fun
- Little reason to keep playing
