2017 var ikke noget synderligt godt år for EA, for de formåede at knuse to af deres største spilseriers gode ry via forbrugerfjendtlige implementeringer af mikrotransaktioner og Loot Boxes i Need for Speed Payback og Star Wars Battlefront II. Nu er spørgsmålet så hvordan 2018's store titler vil blive, og mange frygter at samme vil ske med Biowares Anthem, der står til at udkomme til efteråret.
For analytikeren Michael Pachter er svaret dog ganske enkelt - han mener at Anthem vil have mikrotransaktioner og Loot Boxes, men at de i denne omgang kun indeholder kosmetisk grej. Han har sagt følgende til EGM Now:
"So the question for Anthem is, will EA screw it up like with Star Wars?. Or will they follow the Overwatch and Destiny roadmap, where the actual game is fun to play and the payments are ancillary? Because where they got into trouble with Star Wars was in making it pay to win. Had they limited themselves to purely cosmetic items, I don't think anyone would have said anything. So Anthem has the potential to be Destiny like in terms of game experience, and Overwatch like in terms of microtransactions offered, where it's all cosmetic and no one bats an eye."
"I think right now EA is on probation with gamers. I think everyone is watching everything they do. I don't think they can afford to put an onerous microtransaction scheme in any game going forward, they need to re-earn gamers' trust again. So I hope they are sobered by this experience, and learn from it. But I think they are smart people, so I am sure they will do the right thing going forward. We'll see."
Tror du det samme som Pachter? Vil EA alligevel indlemme praksisserne de er blevet kritiseret sådan for i kommende storspil som Anthem?