Star Wars Battlefront 2 Won't Favor Players Who Purchase Loot Boxes, Dev Says

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding Star Wars Battlefront II's microtransactions, in particular its loot boxes, which are the only way for players to earn Star Cards and other items necessary for progression. This has raised concerns that the game would, effectively, be pay-to-win, as players who opt to purchase the loot boxes with real money would have an unfair advantage over those who grind to unlock them within the game. [Update: Following all of this, EA announced it has removed microtransactions from Battlefront II.]

During an AMA today on Reddit, developer DICE assured fans that its matchmaking system would keep Battlefront II from being unfairly skewed toward players who buy loot boxes. "We take into account not only your gameplay skills, but also inventory and time played, when we match players together in multiplayer," said associate design director Dennis Brannvall. "You should not ever be matchmade together with players who are much better than you are. Ultimately your effectiveness is going to come down to skill, not the Star Cards that you have."

Brannavall also assured that DICE would be constantly monitoring the game and tweaking it in order to maintain a level playing field. "If it doesn't feel that way, we'll see it on our side, too," he said. "Our data will tell that story and we'll make adjustments. We're looking at results from millions of matches and will be continuously rebalancing items, unlocks, and matchmaking to create a fair, fun experience for all of our players. Beyond that, all Star Cards have maximum values regardless of how they are unlocked."

Battlefront II's handling of microtransactions has generated a lot of backlash from fans, particularly regarding estimates of how long it would take players who don't purchase them to unlock major Star Wars characters like Darth Vader. DICE disputed those estimates during today's AMA and addressed the controversial Credit cap implemented for Arcade and offline play.

Star Wars Battlefront II officially releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC this week, on November 17, but players who purchased the game's Deluxe edition or are EA/Origin Access members can already play it. You can read more about the game in our Star Wars Battlefront II review-in-progress.