When EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2 launched in November of 2017, the reception it got was mostly that of criticism. Although it promised huge battles, many iconic Star Wars characters, and visually impressive environments, a very controversial monetization system buried it. That backlash, however, turned into several significant changes which sculpted Battlefront 2 into a fan favorite and one of the greatest successes in the world of Star Wars gaming. In this article, we take a closer look at how Battlefront 2 redeemed itself and turned into a textbook example of post-launch development and community feedback.
The Infamous Launch and the Loot Box Controversy
Probably the worst problem Battlefront 2 had on launch was the inclusion of loot boxes, which were tied into game progression. But it came in how powerful upgrades-Star Cards, some of the most popular Star Wars characters locked behind loot crates that players could buy with real money. In other words, this system was by many heavily criticized for being “pay-to-win,” where one simply pays for an advantage instead of earning the rewards. The grind was also immense for characters like Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker, which would require a huge amount of in-game time or microtransactions.
The outrage came swiftly and strongly, to the point where, at one moment, EA’s response to a fan’s complaint about the system on Reddit became the most downvoted comment in the history of the site. The uproar over Battlefront 2’s microtransactions expanded into a larger debate about the ethics of loot boxes in games and led to government scrutiny in countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands, which classified loot boxes as gambling.
EA had to act quickly. Succumbing to the backlash, it disabled all in-game purchases only days before the official release of the game and promised to rework the whole system of progressions. That was the first step on the path of redemption for the game.
Just What the Fans Called For
Following the removal of microtransactions, Battlefront 2’s developers at DICE set about overhauling the game’s progression system to make it more rewarding to unlock content through skill and effort rather than simply through purchases. In March 2018, a complete overhaul of the game’s progression system was rolled out: loot boxes were entirely removed from the game, and player progression became tied solely to experience earned through gameplay.
Star Cards no longer came from random issuance but from certain gameplay achievements. All heroes and special characters were much easier to unlock, thus creating a game more balanced and fair to all players.
Another key factor in resurrecting Battlefront 2’s name was that DICE listened and brought huge changes. The studio kept lines of communication open with the player base, usually through updates and community posts, thus building a good relationship between them and the community.
New Content and Fan-Favorite Features
It wasn’t just the reworked progression system that won back the fans, though. DICE kept churning out free content updates, making sure that over the years, the game changed and stayed fresh. These updates added new heroes, maps, game modes, and even story expansions based on various eras of the Star Wars universe, from the Clone Wars to the sequel trilogy.
But one of the most highly anticipated updates came in 2019 when DICE introduced content about The Clone Wars. It added fan-favorite characters such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, General Grievous, Anakin Skywalker, and Count Dooku to the game, along with new maps like Geonosis. These additions went very well with widespread critical acclaim, as this era of the Clone Wars has been in high demand since this game’s release.
While other updates added significant features to the game, such as the huge Supremacy mode that allowed players to fight in epic battles on big maps in a conquest-like fashion, DICE further enhanced space combat with the addition of Starfighter Assault and kept increasing the variety of the game.
The Final Update: The Battle on Scarif
DICE released the final big update for Battlefront 2 in April 2020, titled “The Battle on Scarif.” The update contained new content based on the tropical planet shown in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Also, this extended the game’s Instant Action mode by enabling large-scale battles offline, which was one of the most desired things from the fanbase.
By the time Battlefront 2 received its final update, it had added over 25 heroes and villains, 20 locations, and a range of new game modes to its roster. What was once a slim package had developed into an unabashed love letter to Star Wars fans: full of depth and variance, spanning the entire saga.
A New Legacy
The story of Battlefront 2 is one of redemption. What started as a cautionary tale of how not to implement microtransactions turned into a shining example of how to win back a community’s trust. Through DICE’s commitment to listen to feedback, remove predatory monetization systems, and keep on providing free content, Battlefront 2 became one of the most beloved Star Wars games of the modern era.
Conclusion
Nowadays, Battlefront 2 has often been used as a concrete example of how even the worst live-service launches can recover. Its redemption proved that no game is too broken that it cannot be fixed with enough hard work and consideration for player needs.
In retrospect, the journey of Battlefront 2 carries with it a lot of weight in terms of what player-centric development entails. From its rocky start to a polished and full-of-content game, it continues to be a testament to the power the Star Wars universe still has in the world of gaming.
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