The launch of Battlefront 2 with its loot box progression was PR nightmare that I’m sure none of us have forgotten, least of all EA. They finally pushed the community just a little bit too far, and the blowback was enormous; a response from an EA employee became the most downvoted Reddit post in history, the launch of the game was a mess as EA hacked away, disabled and removed things from the game in a panic to stem the hatred flowing their way, and there are rumors Disney even stepped in and knocked EA about the head for fucking with perception of their brand.
Battlefront 2 should have been an easy sell; it was Star Wars, and fundamentally, it was a better game than its predecessor, which sold 16 million copies in its fiscal launch year. In the end, Battlefront 2 fell short of its projected sales numbers, and gamers in general had stated loud and clear they’d finally had enough of EA’s bullshit.
Which is why it’s so delicious to not only see that we are getting a new Star Wars story game (after constantly hearing about single player games in development that EA canned in order to focus on multiplayer games they could monetize post-launch), but part of their reveal marketing strategy this weekend was to emphatically stress that the game would have no loot boxes or microtransactions.
Obviously I don’t believe EA is “born again” or any such bullshit. But I certainly have to imagine they’re still smarting from the public lashing they took over Battlefront 2, and that plays into this sort “Fine, we’ll do it your way” contrition on display here. If the game sells well, EA still wins, but at least they’re smart enough to know not to make their next Star Wars game another loot-box filled cash grab.
And with that said, Jedi: Fallen Order looks pretty damned cool. In fact, Star Wars fans got a lot of great announcements from Celebration this past weekend. Rise of Skywalker looks interesting, The Mandalorian looks and sounds amazing, Oculus owners are getting a neat-looking Star Wars VR series…
So what do you think… with no microtransactions in sight, are you willing to give EA a chance with a single-player Star Wars game (keeping in mind that its success may send a strong message that people want more and will support that avenue), or have they permanantly burned their last bridge?
do you smell that smell?
that fishy smell?
the smell of… DLCs!!!
I will never understand the hate for DLC in general. DLC has been around for a long time, but it used to be called Expansion Pack. Starcraft: Brood War was what would now be called a DLC, Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction, Morrowind Tribunal AND Bloodmoon. Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Predatory DLC can be very bad, but with how much it costs to make these huge games now, the companies have to make it up in some way, and people in general are not willing to spend $100+ up front on a game. And most games that have DLC… Read more »
that’s true, DLCs can be great
but knowing EA’s track record, chances are these will be a huge steaming pile of crap
Warcraf III was content complete game without it’s expansion as well as Diablo II or StarCraft. But for every modern example of DLCs done right, The Witcher 3’s for example, I can name one where it was done badly, such as Fallout 4’s DLCs, the Sims and so on. So yeah, the hate for DLCs is well deserved.
I disagree that Fallout 4 wasn’t a complete game on release. I never bought the DLC and I sure as hell experienced a full game with plenty of content.
Just because dlcs can significantly enrich an experience doesn’t mean they are incomplete without it.
NatKayz, you probably only play single-player, offline, and never with friends… right? Because then you’d know why it was incomplete.
I wanna know what you’ve been huffing, because it seems to top any hallucinogenic I’ve ever tried before… Out of all the things in the world you could criticize F4 for (hah), why in god’s name would you choose the argument of “it doesn’t have multiplayer”? Moreso when talking about the DLCs, which… also don’t have multiplayer… Regardless of that, F4 not only is a pretty complete game by itself, but the DLC content is pretty good (unless you’re one of those people whining about the fact the Season Pass includes stuff you don’t want, boo hoo). The two ‘extra… Read more »
99.9% of DLC’s are “Horse Armor” kind, some small insignificant cosmetic change, sometimes a few characters/cars/maps. Lord of Destruction, Frozen Throne, those were large expansions with tons of content when compared to today’s DLC. Those were the times. Anyone remembers when developers even released free mappacks? Or they added new stuff in patches, but now they call it “Free DLC” that you have to manually download from store.
Expansion packs were not and are not DLC.
DLC is short piece of content that is over priced.
Expansions were substantial amounts of content for substantially less than a new game. Expansions were almost new games in terms of content.
I disagree emphatically Ryan..
There are DLC’s today that are more than worth their money, that add hours of gameplay to a single player game. Most story DLC’s for BioWare titles for example, have been worth the money as they add hours of new story that expand upon the main game.
Sure, there are tons of “horse armor DLC” out there, but the solution is simple.. Don’t buy those..
I agree. DLC earned a bad rap early on for being frivolous, or because of a (sometimes justified, most times not) conceived notion that DLC was content that was otherwise “supposed” to be included in the main game. And while some DLC is still garbage, I think its probably had an overall net positive effect, extending the life of games far past what they would have been otherwise.
I think that the issue with DLC’s is that they are optional. Most people won’t buy them, so the ones who do have to pay it all – you get less content for your money. I don’t think I have ever bought a DLC and thought “that gave me more play-time per dollar than the original game” – and the original game gave me *the game*, as well as more content per dollar. In the end, the average quality of DLC’s compared to the cost just doesn’t stack up, and as a result I stopped trying them. I’ve been burnt… Read more »
EA deserves zero praise or applause for this. “Hey guys, remember how we ruined everything, will this time we’ll try not to! Where’s my medal!”
Honestly, part of me is still bitter about this single player reveal. Mainly for the same reason that others have noted.
“So you mean to tell me you’ve been having Bioware pump out Anthem the Destiny clone and scrapped DA4 because it wasn’t “Live Service” enough. Meanwhile, you had the FPS Multiplayer Titanfall studio do the single player RPG with no lootboxes?”
Are the EA execs all drunk or am I just having a stroke? Where is the logic? Did they take that out back and Old Yeller it too?
Bioware chose to make Anthem. They wanted to do something different. That’s not on EA. Doesn’t make things better, I’m just sayin’…
I agree with Tyler. Maybe it’s not obvious to everyone but developers are people too. And sometimes they want to challenge themselves attempting different things (speaking from personal experience here). So yes, I understand if BioWare decides to try developing a multiplayer game while Respawn has a go at a single player game. The end result will be the ultimate judge of whether they were successful, but I don’t think this has anything to do with EA forcing them to change projects especially when their previous ones were such great hits. EA is all about the money, so it would… Read more »
I think that EA will cancel it a month before it gets released.
But if I am pleasantly surprised and i does actually come out I will probably be waiting a month before I get it.
I just love the idea that simply because of how fucking huge it was and how much of a meme it became, i wouldnt be surprised if “Pride and accomplishment” becomes a saying 50 years from now that has history classes talk about it. Like holy cow. People yelling boycott as one big jumbled voice is one thing, but EA being able to see IN A NUMBER how pissed off people were is another thing entirely. xD Id like to hope that this game might be EA testing the waters before possibly considering stepping back into the SW singleplayer games/RPGs.… Read more »
Im FIRMLY in wait and see. Star-Wars in general is going to have to try hard to win me back into their current spin of the franchise, after The Last Jedi, EA being the face of starwars vidya, honestly theres no hope in the galaxy far far away. Maybe a few years down the line, after the hurt from seeing the mutilation of Luke, live on camera, dies down, I might be able to be truly excited for anything star-wars.
I put EA on a semi-permanent ban list for purchasing their games after what I percieved as the bastardization of Battlefront with their original try. I steered plenty clear of Battlefront 2.
The only caveat I made towards maybe buying a game from them was a no-bullshit single player star wars game. I won’t pre-order it. I won’t buy a gold edition. I will wait for a few reviews. And then I’ll make my decision.
Took the words right out of my mouth. Exactly how I feel about anything EA.
first I’ll crack it
then I’ll buy it MAYBE
I don’t like this sentiment. First you’ll steal it and then potentially buy it? Why not read reviews, watch gameplay videos, then make an informed decision?
There’s no legitimate reasoning to steal a game
Certainly for new games at any rate, but games that are a decade old (and so even a used copy costs a ridiculous amount and an ancient system) are fair game for emulation. I mean, how many people actually own a copy of Golden Sun these days?
I got it on Wii U and it works great
I’m so torn about this. The game looks amazing, and like you said, no cash grabs. But they have they really learned? Won’t they go right back to their old ways for whatever comes after? I don’t know, I am very loathe to give them another chance.
Remember that we’ve seen zero gameplay footage yet. The trailer was rendered and cinematic – a GOOD cinematic, but after the pain of games like Anthem and Mass Effect Andromeda…I’m going to wait for reviews. I’ve learned my lesson on pre-ordering anything EA produce, microtransactions or no.
Interestingly, I did get Battlefront 2 recently on the cheap with Xbox Game Pass, and right now it’s actually a lot of fun. I had the character unlocks done in a few hours. I can recommend it as a good experience now (several years and fixes on).
They’ll just take the DA3 /ME 2 and 3 route. Release single player game and add 100+ dollars worth of dlc to it, most of which is needed to get the complete story experience. Which I still vastly prefer over lootboxes since I know what I’ll get for my money, but let’s not quite be naive enough to believe we’ll get a complete game from EA for 60 bucks.
I like what I’ve seen of Rise of Skywalker (well, one particular thing!), and the game looks good too.
But I am not remotely excited about Mandalorian. They’re massively, massively overhyped. Look at the silly fanwanking over Boba Fett, arguably the OT’s least exciting character.
The irony of the title of this game is noted. The internet loves to hate on things, so the bashing of Battlefront 2 as it was will likely continue regardless, eclipsing any good releases as the only proven means of communicating to EA to put effort in in All future releases.
This guy at Bellular News pointed out that it’s all marketing. FIFA is still micro-transactioned up the futbal, and this game was in development before EA owned the company. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3D302plAJQ
I am… Cautiously optimistic. I don’t for a second think that EA has learned anything, and I don’t think this is anything more than at attempt to placate the outraged fans. Having said that, a good game is a good game. I absolutely will not pre-order it. I won’t buy any deluxe editions or whatever. I won’t buy it on release date, or even soon afterwards. IF the game makes it to release intact, I’ll consider it. IF, after it’s been out in the wild and independent reviews are in, they rate it positively, I’ll consider it. Only after a… Read more »
since comment section still is broken in regards of reply, Cassi at top level: reason why ppl now hate dlcs opposite to past is how different dlc is today compared to past. in past dlc meant expansion, enough content to fit even standalone games worth and today dlc equals new skin and/or 5minute content or at worst …something longer but looks and feels being gutted out of maingame right before its release.
The reply thing works sometimes, and not others. We’re trying to figure it out.
My experience is that if you enter the lower (default) comment field at any point, replies won’t activate properly until after an entry is submitted or the page is reloaded. So far, it has always worked if reply is hit before seeing the window below (Windows 10, Chrome)
Wow, you’re right. Very interesting observation. That may help us figure this out, thank you!
“So what do you think… with no microtransactions in sight, are you willing to give EA a chance with a single-player Star Wars game (keeping in mind that its success may send a strong message that people want more and will support that avenue), or have they permanantly burned their last bridge?” EA has burned their last bridge. One thing people who are making the “keeping in mind that its success may send a strong message that people want more and will support that avenue” argument in favor of buying this game sight unseen are forgetting is that plenty of… Read more »
Will I buy it? Yes. But so it is part of the metric showing the interest in single player games. If everyone skips it because EA. Then they get to claim they were right and no one cares about single player. They might even say the low sales of Battle Front II were because every one is going to mobile platforms.
I’ll not be buying the game on launch but I will be keeping an eye on it. Anthem was pretty much the last game under Patrick Söderlund so might be seeing a change in direction now where they may allow their game developers do single player games again.
Well I have a steam and GOG backlog for a few centuries. And there are great games in there … no need to keep pumping money into EA.
Heck I didnt even finish Dwarf Fortress yet.
Totally unrelated …. Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries launches September 10 (HYPE!) .
So I guess that backlog will never be small enought for me to be so desperate for games that I will hand money to EA. They can microtransact their remaining customers to death for all I care.
One does not simply finish Dwarf Fortress
So I never played Battlefront II. Not for any of the reasons any of you listed, but simply because Star Wars games have never really interested me. The last two EA games I played were Need For Speed (2015) and Dragon Age: Inquisition. Didn’t finish NFS because it didn’t feel like the game I was used to playing. DA:I was incredible though. I don’t remember if I finished it completely but I do remember it being a lot of fun. All that said, Jedi: Fallen Order looks awesome. I like the idea of the storyline, I remember all the fallout… Read more »
Also, I’m excited that Cameron Monaghan (Ian Gallagher from Shameless) is the lead voice actor in this. I’d also buy this game based on that alone.
I’m obviously excited at the idea of a story driven Star Wars game. But I’ll definitely be waiting for reviews on this one.
Meh. Call me when they announce a new X-Wing. Not a glorified Battlefield reskin or arcade shooter, but a TRUE X-Wing Space Combat Simulator.
Ugh, I WANT go like it, I REALLY WANT a single player rpg, especially one that lets me be a Jedi, but can I trust EA to deliver without fucking me over?
I think I’m gonna wait and see rather than preorder too.
I have a baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad feeling about this….
I mean it’s being developed by the Titanfall guys and EA already fumbled two (Three if you count the cancelled one which was so awesome) projects for Disney.
This is….*hopefully* their last chance and *hopefully* they’ve cottoned onto that fact.
I will buy and play good games. Period. If its well reviewed and my friends say its good I’ll get it. I don’t care who the publishers are. Its a very rare event that I buy a game at launch. I’m usually pretty happy that I wait for the reviews to come in and make my purchasing decisions on that rather than who published it. BTW Reply still doesnt work. I’ve tried on three different Windows 10 Computers using Chrome now.
I refuse to praise EA for doing what they’re supposed to do in a game. They created the problem with the loot boxes in their franchises. They created the problem for the microtransactions in their franchises. They created the massive disservice to the Star Wars franchise. They are the ones saying no one wants single player games anymore. They are fixing their own screw up and should not be praised for doing so.
And you don’t think a little positive reinforcement is the most effective way to show the industry that people DO want single player games without all the monetization?
When you’re training a dog, YOU know he’s supposed to shit outside, but maybe the dog doesn’t understand that. You scold him when he shits indoors, but you also praise him when he does it outside where he’s supposed to, so he learns from the positive reinforcement.
I think bitching at EA for doing things we don’t like, but refusing to signal when they do things we DO like is spiteful.
Tim to use your own analogy EA is less of a dog shiting on the carpet and more one that is more likely to bite the hand that feeds it at the drop of the hat than not. Folks dont generaly praise the dog the one time it decides not to bite, its more likely the’d put it down before it can hurt someone else. At this point cant really blame folks for not being willing to give them another chance.
hopefuly this reply works.
It looks really cool so far, so I’m excited. I’ll probably wait and see until after it comes out, more so because I don’t want to spend $60 for a campaign that ends up only being 6-8 hours long or something. But I really couldn’t care less that it’s EA or whatever. Publisher aside, I just want to play good games. Depriving myself of a potentially good game (and a Star Wars game, even!) with the idea that it will somehow teach a billion-dollar corporation a “lesson” sure seems like cutting off my nose to spite my face.
I’ll buy it, if I can play it without Origins. EA games used to be an awesome, innovative company. They got greedy, and their anti-consumer practices backfired. I don’t trust them. They are more concerned about their bottom line, than providing good player experiences. That being said, Battlefront II looked incredibly cool. If they had approached the game with less money-grubbing, I have no doubt it would’ve been a hit. They have the resources to do something incredible. But I still suspect there will be some shenanigans going on. Before I jump on board, I want to make sure it’s… Read more »
I have two rules:
EA = No Way
uPlay = No Way
I have not bought an EA or Ubi game in so long I can’t remember the last one that I bought. They have repeatedly demonstrated they don’t care about their end users, only their share holders. Each time a good company (most recently Respawn) get’s swallowed by these behemoths, I cry on the inside because I will never buy from them again.
I sense the hand of Disney in this, quite strongly. Particularly since this story is supposed to be Canon, and Disney is working with the studio on that. Coupled with the rumored talking to EA got over the BF2 FUBAR, and I’m not sure we can give EA full credit for any lack of micro transactions.
Considering when I bought Force Unleashed from them and the game menu didn’t work because they failed to port it properly to PC….. yeah, I still wouldn’t trust EA. I decided long ago, before any of this, that EA never gets anymore of my money. SWOTOR I bought the physical disc, which ended up giving me a corrupted install, then the first couple times i tried downloading it was corrupted, ended up delaying a week into launch when I was trying to play with my friends. never again will I buy EA.
I think the comments about if the game is good, we should buy it regardless of whether EA is the publisher or not are valid. Otherwise you’re proving their point about single player games if it’s actually good and no one buys it.
Personally, I have been steering clear of EA since long before Battlefront 2 and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Unforgiven. That game would have to be extremely good for me to give EA patronage.
Will I buy it? Depends. If I have a computer that can run it and it seems interesting, I will consider buying it… but I would certainly not pre-order it. I would wait until it came out and see how other people would react before even really considering it.
Don’t give a shit about EA, but that’s fucking respawn fucking entertainment. Remember ? The ones who gave us Titanfall 2, with its awesome solo campaign. Day one buy for me.
Well, I’ll wait for reviews. I’m done with preorders or early access games. And I do not trust EA. But it is a tricky matter. If Fallen Order flops, EA may draw conclusion that single-player non-monetized games are unprofitable and return to it’s evil practices.
….Fine.
BUT I’VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU, EA. Slip up, even a little, and it gets the hose again.
I am not going to pre-order it, but I’m going to leave it to my Star Wars friend who will buy this. He’ll say yay or nay, and this guy is bluntly truthful about his feelings about things that are Star Wars related.
If we’re true Jedi, we should give them the chance to redeem themselves. Will their every movement be monitored and scrutinized? Of course! But if even EA can be rehabilitated, maybe Bethesda can, too.
Of course, saying “that’s not the Jedi way” IS how a certain someone got a free sample of electroshock therapy.
I’d love it if it were in the same vein as KotOR, it would be a must buy for me.
It feels like no one is going to buy this unless people already start buying it and find it to be good. THEN EA would start chugging dollars by the X-Wing load.
Generaly no. EA has burned that bridge and then salted the fields behind them.
That said I will watch and if they dont pull any dubious bait and switch 6 months down the line after launch I’ll consider picking it up. Even then it will be more to support the studio behind the game as EA has a ton of makeing up to do.
Hey Tim, I was reading the comments in chrome on my phone when I was directed to letenhankinbu[.]info (plus a bunch of stuff after that). I didn’t touch any of the ads that I’m aware of, but once the redirect was complete, the site asked me to click allow to continue. Seemed kind of sketchy, so I wanted to give you a heads up.
Unless they kick out Andrew Wilson all the way and rebrand the company, it’s gonna stay blacklisted and all of its spawn with it.
I have no trust in a pre-rendered cutscene being a good game. Fallout 76 had nice advertising. Anthem had nice advertising. Until there’s an actual game that is good, EA can shove off.
I will be carefully hopeful. I was wary enough to wait on reviews of Anthem, and I was vindicated on that front. If EA wants me to be their customer they have to have a good day 1 showing, not a good cinematic. And I sincerely doubt this game was created for us players, I think it was created to make sure Disney had something attached to their IP from EA that wasn’t a hated icon of scum and villainy that was facing down litigious attacks from lawyers and politicians looking to regulate it as a form of gambling. Trust… Read more »