Games publisher EA has changed a rule in Star Wars Battlefront II, arguably the most eagerly awaited game this year, following a huge backlash from players online. During the game, players have to obtain credits – either by buying them or through hours of game play – to unlock popular characters including Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

EA took to Reddit and attempted to justify the high price of heroes in the game, however this didn’t go over well with gamers, who made the thread the most downvoted in Reddit history. Many players said it was unfair as the gaming required worked out at around 40 hours per character, unless they paid.

After things reached a boiling point, EA has taken measures to save face with fans and says the number of credits required will now be reduced by 75%.

“Making games great comes from regular tuning. As one example, today we’re making a substantial change based on what we’ve seen during the Play First trial,” said EA on their official website. “There’s been a lot of discussion around a number of in-game credits (and time) it takes to unlock some of our heroes, especially Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Unlocking a hero is a great accomplishment in the game, something we want players to have fun earning. We used data from the beta to help set those levels, but it’s clear that more changes were needed.

“So, we’re reducing the amount of credits needed to unlock the top heroes by 75%. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader will now be available for 15,000 credits; Emperor Palpatine, Chewbacca and Leia Organa for 10,000 credits; and Iden at 5,000 credits. Based on what we’ve seen in the trial, this amount will make earning these heroes an achievement, but one that will be accessible for all players.

The change will be effective from today, he added.

The credit system has faced huge criticism from the game’s fans. One of the game’s developers, tweeting from a locked account, said he had received seven death threats and more than 1,600 “individual personal attacks”.

Yes, it’s good that EA decided to change how Battlefront II‘s microtransactions work…however, it’s a real shame things got so toxic.

The game without any of the extras is available for pre-order for between £49.99 and £69.99 in the UK (and for between $59.99 and $79.99 in the US). Many felt meant there should not be additional payments for the most popular Star Wars characters, which encourages a pay-to-win gaming culture where your effectiveness is purely determined by how much you’ve spent…like World of Tanks, for instance.

Star Wars Battlefront II has come under a lot of criticism building to its launch, in particular regarding the campaign mode. The first incarnation of this game offered no single player option at all…and this sequel only offers about seven hours in total. EA firmly believes the future lies in online gaming, not single player mode, which is a shame ’cause there are still an awful lot of us out there who want to play in campaign mode.

Regardless, to illustrate just how popular the game is expected to be, Argos is launching a limited edition special bundle deal three days early…and unsurprisingly, it’s already selling out.

For just £279.99, you’ll get a limited edition slim, grey, 1TB PS4 console as well as the brand new Star Wars Battlefront II game in the Elite Trooper Deluxe edition.

Star Wars Battlefront II is available for pre-order now at £59.99 (consoles) and £49.99 (PC), with early adopters bagging some Star Wars: The Last Jedi-related in-game costumes, weapons and ships.

INFO
Developer: Pandemic
Publisher: LucasArts
Release: 17 November 2017
Formats: PS4, PC and Xbox One

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