With that statement specifically referring to the upcoming releases of the next Battlefield game from DICE and Anthem from BioWare. With the controversies of course relating to the release of Star Wars Battlefront II and its implementation of a pay-to-win loot box system. Which, compared to the backlash, is putting it mildly.

The comments come from EA's Patrick Söderlund, long-time EA executive who has just become the company's chief design officer, in a recent interview with The Verge.

In response to the backlash surrounding Battlefront II he notes, "I’d be lying to you if I said that what’s happened with Battlefront and what’s happened with everything surrounding loot boxes and these things haven’t had an effect on EA as a company and an effect on us as management." Adding, "We can shy away from it and pretend like it didn’t happen, or we can act responsibly and realize that we made some mistakes, and try to rectify those mistakes and learn from them."


Of course Star Wars Battlefront II isn't the first game to feature a loot box system, where money is spent and the rewards are left to chance. But, it's implementation of the system stood out because it was found to be the easiest and most effective way to earn in-game items. Items that would affect multiplayer performance in meaningful ways. Since the backlash EA has gone from removing the system, to introducing a new and improved progression model in a recent update.

“We have taken significant steps as a company to review and understand the mechanics around monetization, loot boxes, and other things in our games before they go to market,” Patrick says. “For games that come next, for Battlefield or for Anthem, players have made it very clear that we can’t afford to make similar mistakes. And we won’t.”

The feature and interview doesn't shy away from a lot of the negative press surrounding EA of late, in addition to some of the success stories like the EA Originals platform that sees all profits go to small development teams. As it has done so with the most recent EA Original - A Way Out.

In the end it's great to see that EA are taking player feedback and public perception seriously. Which fills us with hope when it comes to both Battlefield and Anthem.

Source: The Verge.