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EA Says Battlefront II's Microtransaction Change Will Not Affect Earnings
After Electronic Arts made a last-minute adjustment to Star Wars: Battlefront II's microtransactions by turning off the ability to buy its virtual currency, the publisher has issued a statement to investors that they do not expect this to change earnings much at all.
The statement comes as EA attempts to assuage investors' fears that microtransactions are a big part of the revenue EA was expecting from Battlefront II this financial year. EA does not believe it will impact things too much.
"On November 16, 2017, Electronic Arts Inc. (“EA”) announced in a blog on its website at www.ea.com/news that it will turn off all in-game purchases for the Star Wars Battlefront II title until further notice," said the statement. "This change is not expected to have a material impact on EA’s fiscal year 2018 financial guidance."
EA plans to bring the microtransactions back at a later date, but has not specified in what form beyond stating that it will still be tied to progression.
Star Wars: Battlefront II is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You can find our review of the game here.
[Source: EA Investor Statement]
Our Take
While EA is right to be concerned about investor feelings after the story got mainstream attention, it does come off as surprisingly tone deaf to the consumer furor around the title, especially the week after release and the week of Black Friday when sales are important. It undercuts the change they made by hoping people only care about the results and not the intention.
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