Star Wars Battlefront 2 on PS4 and Xbox One has been dominated by the ongoing controversy over how the game was set to use loot boxes.
Having delayed and pulled back their launch, EA and DICE are looking at better way to incorporate them into the game.
Battlefront 2’s Loot boxes were originally going to include items that give players an edge in competitive multiplayer scenarios.
Games like Overwatch also feature random loot boxes, but contents are limited to cosmetic items like skins, emotes, sprays and victory poses.
This has been seen as something that Battlefront 2 could maybe explore, although according to EA CFO Blake Jorgensen, this wouldn’t work because it might violate Star Wars canon.
“The one thing we’re very focused on and they are extremely focused on is not violating the canon of Star Wars,” Jorgensen said at the Credit Suisse Annual Technology, Media and Telecom Conference (via Polygon).
“It’s an amazing brand that’s been built over many, many years, and so if you did a bunch of cosmetic things, you might start to violate the canon, right?
“Darth Vader in white probably doesn’t make sense, versus in black. Not to mention you probably don’t want Darth Vader in pink. No offence to pink, but I don’t think that’s right in the canon.”
Jorgensen said that Star Wars fans want realism, although some cosmetic changes could come to the game.
“So, there might be things that we can do cosmetically, and we’re working with Lucas[film] on that,” he continued.
“But coming into it, it wasn’t as easy as if we were building a game around our own IP where it didn’t really matter.
“It matters in Star Wars, because Star Wars fans want realism. But Star Wars fans may also want to tailor things — a different coloured lightsaber, things like that. So you might see some of that.”
The EA Sports UFC 3 beta is now live on PS4 and Xbox One, including a new range of modes to try out.
The beta has a total of four modes and is set to run on both consoles until December 4.
The end date could be a little different in the UK as EA have confirmed that UFC 3 will be going offline at around midnight, PDT.
That would mean 8am in the UK, on Tuesday, December 5.
EA have also made some clarifications on how microtransactions will not be used during the beta, but how they could impact the final game.
According to the publisher, the purchasable item packs are only available in Ultimate Team mode.
“There are no purchasable fighter upgrades that affect any other mode,” a representative for EA told IGN.
It should also be noted that no purchases can be made during the beta test period.
“Our matchmaking logic takes fighter attributes, moves, boosts, and perks into account and prioritizes matching players with similarly upgraded fighters in addition to player skill,” the statement adds.
“The goal is to prevent uneven matchups as much as possible. Furthermore, the game features Online Ranked Championships and unranked Online Quick Match for competitive and casual head-to-head online play.”