EA vs Reddit. We summarize the great conflict over Battlefront II in 5 episodes

EA, with the utmost recognition, is doing what it can to infuriate internet users. After the company defended the micro-transaction system in Battlefront II, it’s time for another scandal. This time, Electronics allegedly removed the button responsible for canceling the pre-order. All through an organized campaign of customers returning a digital product.

What is one of the biggest conflicts in the video game industry all about? The clash on the EA line – Reddit users is already so multi-threaded and stretched in time that it is high time to sum up the course of this confrontation. The story is amazing, and its subsequent chapters are still written in front of our eyes. Here is the story of a mighty Empire that was declared war on the Internet by Rebels …

Episode I: Dark Beta

A few weeks ago, EA organized a massive beta test of Star Wars: Battlefront II. I took part in them and after several hours of gameplay I was very torn. On the one hand, I was delighted with the visual setting, the division into classes and space battles. On the other hand, I was rejected from the game by packages with random content, which were the foundations of the economic system of the program. It fit the title like a fist to the nose, and you immediately felt that someone was pushing micro-transactions with his knee, just to maximize profit for a non-cheap video game.

Contrary to such an online shooter as Overwatch, in Star Wars: Battlefront II the content of the packs was not only cosmetic. Firstly, they dropped out of upgrades that gave you a real advantage on the battlefield. Second, the bundled currency – credits – allowed you to buy the best weapons, vehicles and heroes. Thus, Battlefront II turned into a model production of Pay 2 Win, which, of course, did not appeal to many Star Wars fans. However, DICE to the company with EA announced a modification of the economic system, which was in the heat of criticism.

See also: Download Reddit videos with audio

Episode II: Credit Attack (and weird reviewer version)

The changes have actually been made. The producers of the game did some math tricks to give players the impression that the system has become fairer. However, journalists turned out to be so insightful that they themselves counted how the new content packs affect the gameplay. It turned out that you need over 40 hours of gameplay to unlock one hero from the world of Star Wars. It’s a lot. So much so that many players may look for a faster, alternative route for Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.

This is where micro-transactions come in. Using real cash, players could purchase credit packs and then purchase their movie idols with them. EA thus divided the players into poor and rich. Committed and those who have enough to cut corners. The mere presence of a transactional system is a shot at the credibility of a network shooter, which is supposed to be well-balanced and relatively fair.

The matter was only made worse by the fact that a dozen or so days before the Battlefront’s premiere, reviewers from around the world were given a different version of the program to play than the one prepared for ordinary players. During the media show, which was also attended by a representative of Spider’s Web , most of the heroes were available for 10,000 credits. At the same time, there was a pre-release version of Battlefront for worldwide distribution, in which the average cost of acquiring a hero is … 60,000 credits.

In this way, EA was building the impression among media representatives that their economy was not soulless at all. Behind the reviewers’ backs, however, a system of hours of grind was built to encourage shortcuts. A very ugly move.

Episode III: Revenge (700k) of the Reddit

Star Wars fans, disgusted by the attitude of EA, commented on the matter on the online platform Reddit. There was a lot of criticism on the channel dedicated to Battlefront II. Very constructive to a large extent. Electronics decided to react. The publisher published a comment in which he defended the package-based economic system, arguing his point of view this way (editorial translation):

The goal is to make the player feel that unlocking different characters is a real achievement. (…) Every day we look at the sum of credits earned by the average player and we will definitely make adjustments based on this data. We want character unlocking to be challenging but achievable by everyone.

If each player had to spend around 40 hours to unlock their idol – so be it. Then having a whole squad of heroes from the world of Star Wars would actually indicate commitment on the game servers. However, Battlefront II introduces an alternative, easy, and fast path to the same goal. It is enough to reach for a debit card. EA breaks players into the rich (high price of the game itself) and richer (micro-transactions).

EA’s comment had an effect on Internet users like a red rag on a bull. Almost 700 thousand Registered Reddit users expressed their disapproval of the Electronicists’ position. This is the most “minced” comment in the entire history of this platform. No other entry has met with such a negative reaction there. It can be written that EA has entered the modern history of the Internet. However, I doubt that this is a record that the company really cares about.

Episode IV: New Supervision… a change

For a moment, it seemed that Electronic Arts bowed under the pressure of the press, Internet users and Star Wars fans. The media spread the news about the updated version of the second Battlefront, in which the average cost of the hero decreased from 60,000 to 15,000,000. credits. This made the heroes easier to get and not so attractive to buy from the perspective of a short path lined with micro-transactions. There is only one slight snag…

It turned out that with the reduction of the average cost of the hero, the average value of the rewards that the player received for the activities performed also decreased! EA lowered the prices of heroes by 75%, but the rates for missions completed, battles carried out and challenges completed decreased by a similar value. I have no idea which Electronics genius came up with this idea. Did the publisher of the game really think nobody would notice? After all, in the age of the Internet, nothing disappears forever. This also applies to the prize stakes before the forced adjustment.

A Reddit user with the nickname Feminymphist turned out to be a great predictor of EA’s controversial move . The alleged employee of the marketing sector predicted that electronics would use the “make outrage outdated” strategy. The maneuver consists in introducing such changes that the criticism of the previous state of affairs ceased to be relevant. The new narrative would push the old one out, and any criticism would crash into a general statement repeated by the uninteresting ones that, after all, the changes had been introduced and there is no need to beat the foam anymore. Instead, you have to wait with the evaluation until launch. However, Reddit did not give up and launched a powerful cannon.

Episode V: EAmperium Strikes Back

The Reddit community has risen above divisions. On channels dedicated to PC, Xbox, PlayStation and even Nintendo, players from around the world encouraged each other to boycott the second Battlefront. Internet users debated the best form of opposition to EA’s actions. The idea to address complaints directly to Disney, which sold Electronics almost exclusive rights to create games in the Star Wars film universe, has gained great popularity. The demand to return pre-release orders and purchased games has become even more popular. There was a problem here.

There has been an uproar on the Internet that EA has removed the button responsible for initiating the refund procedure. It’s not quite like that. The Electronics System is based on a clear procedure. The refund button is visible until the funds for the pre-order are removed from our account. That is until the commercial debut of the product. When the program is premiered, in exchange for PLN / dollars / euros, the customer receives a game license, and the return button disappears.

Of course, a complaint is still possible. It’s just that you currently have to wait about an hour for a connection with a consultant. They have to experience the worst moments in their work. I really don’t envy them. It’s not the fault of the people on the handset that Star Wars: Battlefront II is what it is. An alternative and more effective way to return is to use the link provided in the e-mail received during the purchase. Reddit users report that the link is still working, although some have encountered minor inconvenience while using this procedure.

Despite the terrible image situation, EA does not give up. On the contrary.

The publisher strikes back, maintaining their will to hold an AMA session (ask us what you want) on Reddit. It’s a bit like entering a cave full of wolves that haven’t eaten in a week. I don’t know who will be thrown to eat the silly Reddit community. But I really wouldn’t want to be in his shoes. You can be sure that we will pick out the most interesting threads from the debate and present them on Spider’s Web when it comes to it.