EA is reported to be mulling over whether to include loot boxes in the next instalment of Battlefield which contain only cosmetic items.
According to Kotaku, sources close to developer DICE said: “No one’s going to do any pay-to-win stuff anymore. We didn’t take any of the loot box controversy lightly.”
That source is of course referring to the loot box controversy which dogged the launch of Star Wars: Battlefront II, leading EA and DICE to disable that game’s microtransactions system pre-launch (and it still hasn’t re-enabled it).
Kotaku’s source went on to add the caveat that the giant US publisher and the Swedish developer are still deciding what to do as far as the thorny issue of loot boxes is concerned. As we reported earlier this year, after the loot box controversy, Star Wars: Battlefront II missed its sales targets, and EA will be keen to ensure the same fate does not befall the forthcoming Battlefield game.
Currently, EA has said little about the next Battlefield game, other than that it will be released in 2018. However, it is rumoured that it will take place against a World War II backdrop. We’ll bring you further Battlefield news as it emerges.
