It looks like EA didn't learn its lesson from Star Wars: Battlefront II because it's not looking to end its full support of loot boxes any time soon. Then again, perhaps it did, because it won't be pushing them so hard in shooters, but plans to continue their usage in sports titles because they seem to make a hell of a lot of money and no one has rebelled against the practice quite like they did in Battlefront II as of yet.
During a recent financial report published by GamesIndustry, EA reported record earnings, increased net revenue, much higher operating cash flow and higher share prices. It was a successful year all around, despite the fall out with Battlefront II.
Part of that can be put at the feet of EA's expansive sports lineup, which expanded to more than 90 million players on current-generation consoles. However, loot boxes were also big earners and EA plans to continue using them well into the future.
That might seem surprising considering the various authorities around the world who classify them as gambling and therefore not legally allowed to be accessible to minors. However, EA sees an easy way around it. Its loot boxes in sports games are classed as card packs as part of the "Ultimate Team" mode and play a little like a CCG mixed with fantasy sports.
That kind of thing, most countries and regulatory bodies don't seem as bothered by and players don't appear to be either, with gamers continuing to buy them in droves, despite the push back against content hidden behind randomized paywalls elsewhere.
The likely reason there is because sports gamers don't tend to delve deep into gamer communities. They buy their Fifa and their CoD releases and that's about it. Someone needs to teach them what the rest of gamerdom is trying to stand up for.
