EA backs off in-game purchases in 'Star Wars Battlefront II' controversy

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The developers of a new Star Wars video game are backing off their controversial business strategy following a storm of criticism on the social media site Reddit.

Fans of “Star Wars: Battlefront II” showed their dark side earlier this week when they discovered the game’s maker, Electronic Arts, was keeping popular characters Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader behind a paywall.

The characters could only be unlocked by in-game purchases, or logging a substantial 40 hours of gameplay.

Gamers upset that the ‘microtransaction’ business model could lead to a “pay-to-win” advantage for some, took to Reddit to express their displeasure.

EA originally said they intended to give gamers a sense of accomplishment when they unlocked the characters by playing for hours. A Reddit post explaining the decision ultimately became the most down-voted comment in the history of the site.

The company said it would reduce the cost to unlock the characters by 75 per cent. Then, in a statement on Friday, EA said in response to “loud and clear” messages from gamers, it will be removing in-game purchases for now.

“We’ve heard the concerns about potentially giving players unfair advantages,” the company said. “We’ve heard that this is overshadowing an otherwise great game. This was never our intention. Sorry we didn’t get this right.”

“We will now spend more time listening, adjusting, balancing and tuning.”

EA did say the ability to make in-game purchases would return to “Star Wars: Battlefront II,” but only after they’ve made changes to the game.