10 Video Games Ruined By One Dumb Decision

10. The Inclusion Of Loot Boxes - Star Wars Battlefront II

After EA's 2015 Star Wars Battlefront reboot proved to be an entertaining yet relatively shallow, content-light multiplayer shooter, the publisher promised that their 2017 follow-up would remedy this, releasing with not only a single-player campaign but also ditching a Season Pass in favour of free periodic DLC.

But in a textbook example of why gamers should never trust slick-tongued publishers, Battlefront II released to an unfathomable amount of blowback after it became clear that the multiplayer suite's progression system was inextricably linked to the acquisition of loot boxes.

Critics noted that players were encouraged to spend real money in order to unlock ability-enhancing items which would otherwise take tens of hours to grind out the hard way.

Amid mounting pressure from critics, a widely-mocked PR response which became the most downvoted comment in Reddit history and a tumbling share price, EA reluctant unplugged microtransactions from the game just ahead of launch, before reinstating them in a less-intrusive form several months later.

But the damage had already been done: what should've been a do-over for its piecemeal predecessor was a sheer laughing stock.

The whole sorry situation not only saw fans taking a principled stand against predatory business practises, but also invited several governments worldwide to investigate the possible criminality of the game's loot box mechanics.

Fans could've forgiven the mediocre single-player campaign, but considering that loot boxes were such an inherent part of the multiplayer gameplay loop - which represents the bulk of Battlefront II's value - it basically ruined everything worthwhile in the game.