10 Insulting Microtransactions Video Games Had To REMOVE

Electronic Arts is, infamously, a major AAA video game publisher almost universally hated by gamers everywhere. But with Star Wars: Battlefront II's microtransactions, they overreached so far that they attracted similar ire from politicians. This was due to their predatory approach to microtransaction loot boxes within the game.

In addition to usual items like in-game currency, items and weapons, Battlefront II's loot boxes also included Star Cards - a needlessly complicated system for improving your character's abilities. This literally meant that by spending real money, you could objectively give yourself an advantage over other players.

And the more you spend, the better your odds of getting really good cards. At least, that's the gambler's mentality EA was exploiting (especially in younger players) to make stacks of cash. Fan backlash was enough for EA to remove paid loot boxes entirely.

However, this practice drew national attention, even resulting in the state of Hawaii introducing legislation targeting such business practices.

EA's stock plummeted amidst the controversy and the company gained a reputation among parents for encouraging their children to gamble. And with the company committing more to single player games going forward, it seems to have changed the direction of the company completely.