After all that, EA says it will continue to use loot boxes, but in a ‘fun’ way

You know what would be fun? Loot box regulation

Recommended Videos

Remember Star Wars Battlefront II? Well it wasn’t that long ago so you probably do. It earned the ire of Star Wars fans, players, and the press at large due to its heavily gating loot box system, and sort of blew the lid open on the entire practice — prompting multiple worldwide gambling regulators to investigate loot boxes. We’re nearly there in terms of possible sanctions (Hawaii has several bills in the works), but not quite.

So far not a whole lot has come from it (several countries like China already had regulations in place that would force publishers to show rarity percentages), and evidently, EA didn’t learn a whole lot from the whole affair. EA CEO Andrew Wilson says it pretty plainly during a recent Q4 year-end investor call, stating: “[Regarding loot boxes] We’re going to continue to push forward. We’re always thinking about our players. We’re always thinking about how to deliver these types of experiences in a transparent, fun, fair, and balanced way for our players.”

Just in case you thought the whole loot box thing was over, it’s still very much alive. I mean we knew that already with the billions that companies are making off slot machine gacha games and the abundance of “cosmetic” loot box archetypes (Overwatch), but it’s interesting to hear that EA is doubling down on it.

Electronic Arts (EA) Q4 2018 Results – Earnings Call Transcript [Seeking Alpha]


Destructoid is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article 8BitDo’s new keyboard goes beige with a Commodore 64 aesthetic
8BitDo Commodore 64 Retro Mechanical Keyboard
Read Article Take-Two is buying Gearbox from Embracer, next Borderlands is in development
Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box
Read Article Stardew Valley patch 1.6.3 gives Krobus his own portrait
Portrait of Krobus in Stardew Valley
Related Content
Read Article 8BitDo’s new keyboard goes beige with a Commodore 64 aesthetic
8BitDo Commodore 64 Retro Mechanical Keyboard
Read Article Take-Two is buying Gearbox from Embracer, next Borderlands is in development
Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box
Read Article Stardew Valley patch 1.6.3 gives Krobus his own portrait
Portrait of Krobus in Stardew Valley
Author
Chris Carter
Managing Editor - Chris has been enjoying Destructoid avidly since 2008. He finally decided to take the next step in January of 2009 blogging on the site. Now, he's staff!