Overview
#BattlefrontII exploded in November 2017 when EA’s Star Wars shooter became the flashpoint for lootbox gambling outrage. The $60 game locked heroes (Darth Vader 40 hours or $80), tied progression to random lootboxes, and created pay-to-win mechanics—triggering Reddit’s most-downvoted comment (-668K), government investigations, and industry-wide lootbox reckoning.
The Comment
EA community manager responded to complaints: “The intent is to provide players with a sense of pride and accomplishment for unlocking different heroes.” Reddit obliterated it. Disney intervened. EA disabled microtransactions 24 hours before launch, lost $3 billion stock value, and faced Belgium/Netherlands gambling law investigations.
The Aftermath
Belgium banned lootboxes (2018). UK, US hearings followed. Publishers scrambled: Fortnite shifted to Battle Pass model, Overwatch defended cosmetic-only lootboxes. Battlefront II eventually became good (2019 updates removed pay-to-win, added free content), but the damage was done. The comment became copypasta legend.
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