The new 'Star Wars' game is embroiled in controversy, and fans are furious

November 17, 2017

The new 'Star Wars' game is embroiled in controversy, and fans are furious — here's what's going on

A gorgeous new "Star Wars" game launches today on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. It's called "Star Wars Battlefront 2." Perhaps you've heard about it?

Star Wars Battlefront II

In it, you can play as over a dozen iconic "Star Wars" characters, in major "Star Wars" locations, doing "Star Wars" things like using The Force and piloting the Millennium Falcon. It's even got an original story, bridging the events of "Return of the Jedi" and "The Force Awakens."

Unfortunately, all fans are talking about is why you shouldn't buy it. One of the top posts on the game's Reddit page on Friday morning was, "Target Employee here. We haven’t sold a single copy of Battlefront II. Keep it up!"

The situation is complicated and messy — here's what's going on.

Problems started long before the game's release.

Though "Battlefront 2" just launched on November 17, there were several opportunities for fans to play the game before that. A beta of the game was available in October, which enabled anyone to try the game's multiplayer section.

Overshadowing the game itself, which consists of first-person shooting and spaceship dogfighting, was the way "Battlefront 2" implemented so-called "loot boxes." Players were able to buy in-game currency ("crystals") that could be used on in-game loot boxes; these boxes contain a random smattering of items that can be used in the game, from character enhancements to other forms of in-game currency.

What people took issue with were the character enhancements. By putting items in the loot boxes that impacted gameplay, the game's developers unbalanced gameplay in favor of people who were willing to spend more money. This is known as "pay to win" among gaming fans.

The game's loot-box system was altered in response to complaints from the beta — but not enough.

When the beta ended, EA told fans it would address complaints with the loot crate system before the game's soft launch in mid-November.

But when the game arrived through EA's Early Access system on the Xbox One in mid-November, the loot system hadn't changed much at all. You could still pay real money for access to enhancements that would otherwise take dozens of hours to unlock by playing the game.

Meanwhile, you were playing against people who could easily defeat you with stronger weapons, faster movement, and more health — people who were willing to pay more money on top of the $60 price of the game.

On top of that, a number of major "Star Wars" characters — including Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader — weren't unlocked from the start of the game.

Characters like Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Princess Leia — so-called hero characters in the game's multiplayer mode — require in-game credits to be unlocked.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider