This is the third news post of the day that I am starting this way, but loot crates in AAA video games have conclusively become a problem. And while some games are smart enough to sidestep the issue by not charging players, others, it seems, are relying on this excessively egregious form of monetization- and going overboard with it, too.
One of those games might be the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront 2. Eurogamer is reporting that the only way to get new items and abilities in the game is via loot crates- that means that there is absolutely no progression system whatsoever in the game. Moreover, the game is balanced such that trying to randomly roll a weapon or equipment you want without paying for it is going to be extremely slow- so you are pushed towards spending money on the chance to get what you want.
Eurogamer’s assessment of the system is damning, noting that by locking and gating abilities behind loot crates, and loot crates only, the game ends up being pay to win – after being a $60 full priced game. If that is the case, then Battlefront 2 sounds like it will end up getting even more blowback than the first game. For the sake of the hobby that I love, I hope that this is changed for the final release.
