Mass Effect, Loot Boxes And Star Wars Release Dates discussed on EA Investor Call
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Mass Effect, Loot Boxes And Star Wars Release Dates discussed on EA Investor Call

A recent EA Investor Call revealed the financial state of the company and unsurprisingly, it’s doing rather well. The call also shed some light on their thoughts on Loot Boxes, Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem and Star Wars.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away…

Following fan feedback regarding how micro-transactions were handled in Star Wars Battlefront II, they were removed from the game. However, they seem likely to return in some form in the near future. The Star Wars Battlefront II debacle was discussed with EA CEO Andrew Wilson stating:

“We never intended to build an experience that could be seen as unfair or lacking clear progression, so we removed the feature that was taking away from what fans were telling us was an otherwise great game.” – Andrew Wilson, EA CEO

Star Wars Battlefront games let you relive your favourite moments from the movies. Like that time when Rey was disarmed by Kylo Ren, so she ran to a Loot Box for a new weapon. Unfortunately it only gave her a feather duster. How dramatic!

They also discussed the upcoming Star Wars action game being developed by Respawn.

“Remember that we have a Star Wars action game that the team of respondent has been working on for the last couple of years…And most likely that would drop in fiscal 2020 versus another battlefront. We haven’t decided exactly timing for another battlefront yet but clearly the next big Star Wars game would be the action game in fiscal 2020.” – Blake Jorgensen

EA’s fiscal year runs until March 2020, so it seems like a good bet that you may get the game sometime around Christmas 2019.

Loot boxes are not gambling…because they say so!

When asked about Loot Boxes and whether they were a form of gambling, CEO Blake Jorgensen stated firmly that “we do not believe that loot boxes and similar mechanics are forms of gambling.” So there you go – that’s a watertight argument which is sure to satisfy any concerns you may have about the nature of Loot Boxes (?!). I mean, he did say it firmly…

mass effect andromeda
Mass Effect Andromeda can feature up to four players in its online co-op mode. If you can still find anybody to play with, that is.

It seems that they have learned from their mistake of launching Battlefield 1 so close to Titanfall 2 and will not make the same mistake with Anthem.

“We are really excited by the way the next battlefield is shaping up and it might set – it probably doesn’t make sense to launch Anthem right up next to it. And when you think about Anthem as a brand new IP, we also believe it make sense to give it its own launch window so that we can give us a focus and attention that it deserve and give it some free air” – Andrew Willson, EA CEO.

Addressing Mass Effect Andromeda, they said that despite middling reviews and EA pulling support for the game, it “actually performed really well.” Am I the only person in the galaxy that actually liked Mass Effect Andromeda? Please tell me that I’m not alone on this one.

If you liked this article, you should so check out the Mass Effect Andromeda Review. You should also read the Anthem Official Corn Maze revealed article.

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5 responses to “Mass Effect, Loot Boxes And Star Wars Release Dates discussed on EA Investor Call”


  1. >
    And therein lies the real problem. They’re designed to be addictive. Modern day eploitative game design puts the old school Skinner’s Box systems to shame, don’t they? I remember when people used to compare Everquest and Warcraft to actual drugs like crack.

    >
    Yeah, I think the whole setup would be pretty okay overall if they let people trade stuff they didn’t want for stuff they did. That’s what you do when you have something you don’t want: you give it to someone who does want it in exchange for something they don’t, then you hand that off to someone else, and one long protracted trading quest later you’ve got yourself the shiny doodad of your preference.

    There is literally no reason not to allow this, except to “encourage” players to buy more loot boxes.

  2. Yes, personally I’m usually fine with DLC Fallenangel700 but find Loot Boxes to be more frustrating. With DLC, I know exactly what I’m getting and how much it costs and can decide whether or not I think it’s worth the financial value that’s being asked of it.

    With things such as the Summons in Fire Emblem Heroes, they dangle that there’s about a 3% chance of getting a rare new hero when you do a Summon. But that means that there’s a 97% chance that you’re going to end up disappointed. They gave away 50 Orbs for the 1 year anniversary and I’d earned some through doing quests. Having spent them all on Summons, I didn’t come out with one Hero that I was glad to have received. I’m just glad that I’d resisted the urge to spend any real-life money on those Orbs and had earned them in-game instead.

  3. Well it’s more locking stuff behind a pay wall of any kind that requires real life money to unlock.

    Loot boxes really need to be looked at as what they are: abusive gambling devices designed to draw in whales. Regardless of what they contain, be it cosmetics or combat advantages, they are (nearly) unacceptable.

    Maybe a better example would be in Elder Scrolls Online. They have a promotional give away of loot boxes each new season, where all you have to do is log in and kill something to get a loot box. You can get up to 3 during the promotion.

    My nephew got excited because he had these boxes to open, and got a few nice things. Mostly costumes and a pet, but he wanted more because he enjoyed the process of opening them. I had to let him down because I’m not buying loot boxes, even for a game I support.

    Maybe more game companies can take a hint from Digital Extremes. Warframe has been growing very rapidly, and contains abundant microtransactions. Where Warframe differed is that the premium currency, Platinum, can be traded between players, creating a secondary market. You have the option of playing normally and getting items to sell for a little Platinum at a time, or buying Platinum outright from the store. You really only need Platinum if you trade with other players a lot, or need more slots for Warframes, weapons or companions.

  4. “We never intended to build an experience that could be seen as unfair or lacking clear progression,…”
    So you built the entire game around RNG boxes so you can make people pay for with real money?

    Also, Lich, no offense, but your example has nothing to do with loot boxes/gambling. You know what you are getting with that purchase: Jason. Nothing more, nothing less.

  5. Not really surprising to see EA doing well, even after a few of their games were panned. After all, it’s a massive company with their fingers in a lot of different genres.

    Their stance on microtransactions not being gambling is funny, though. The very nature of loot boxes IS gambling. You pay a currency to have a chance at getting something out of it. The slot machines in Pokemon rewarded special coins to trade for unique items, loot boxes trade REAL LIFE MONEY for cosmetics, boosts and sometimes (in the case of Star Wars Battlefront 2) actual combat advantages like increased damage or health.

    Sadly, the government may have to step in and out their foot down on these abusive practices.

    An example: my nephew liked playing Mortal Kombat, Destiny and a few other games with heavy microtransactions. He wanted to get some unlockable stuff, like a character (visible from the character selection screen). Jason Voorhees costs $5 USD to unlock.

    I refused to buy it, and he doesn’t play that game anymore because he can’t get what he wants. Every so often I find him trying to buy it in the PlayStation store, but I have his settings so he can’t buy anything.

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