Star Wars Battlefront II microtransactions are coming back

Electronic Arts has revealed the obvious: Star Wars Battlefront II didn’t sell as well as they had hoped. While this isn’t surprising considering all the hullabaloo over the game’s controversial microtransactions, we now know the game has officially underperformed.

Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, EA exec Blake Jorgensen revealed that Battlefront II shipped nine million copies during its launch quarter, which is down heavily on the 13 million shifted by its predecessor back in 2015. The publisher had previously forecast shipments of 10 million copies for the sequel. 

Here’s where things get interesting. Moving forward, EA’s confirmed that it will be adding microtransactions back into the mix ‘in the next few months.’ Apparently, the publisher firmly believes that they’re able to ‘enhance the experience in our games,’ but was keen to note that it must be done right. So, hopefully that means lessons have been learned. 

‘We’re committed to continually working with our players to deliver the right experience in each of our games and live services,’ said Jorgensen, while adding that Battlefront II’s development was something of a ‘learning opportunity’ for the company. 

Looking ahead, developer DICE has confirmed that it will be revamping Battlefront II’s progression system. EA also believes that the game is able to move an additional three million units during the company’s current fiscal year, though they’ve definitely got an uphill battle.