Most big-budget games have seen a rise of between 20 and 30 per cent in digital sales percentage over the past couple of years. The difference is reportedly 28 percent for Battlefront. (Destiny 2, which launched in September, had 50 per cent higher digital sales than Destiny 1, but this ratio is something of an anomaly. EA is offering a silver lining, though, in that more of the sales from Battlefront II were digital than when compared to the original game. It had an extra day on sale, and Battlefront 2 will have received more digital sales which are not counted by UK numbers company Chart-Track - but it's hard to see either of these facts accounting for the eye-opening plummet. It's impossible to know to what extent Battlefront 2's pre-launch issues hit sales, but with coverage of EA's woes on mainstream channels such as the BBC and CNN, it's hard to imagine the drama not having had an impact.īack in 2015, Battlefront 1 was the biggest ever launch for a Star Wars game in the UK. In a dramatic and unprecedented move last Friday, EA temporarily switched off all in-game purchases just as Battlefront 2 went live - although it was too late to reverse fan feeling towards the game. The publisher has U-turned on both fronts - but many fans still consider the game to include pay-to-win mechanics.

The game's in-game loot boxes and, to a lesser extent, the high requirements needed to unlock the game's roster of heroes sparked an eruption of anger from fans which EA has been unable to contain. Star Wars Battlefront 2 launched with 60 per cent fewer physical sales than Star Wars Battlefront 1.īattlefront 2's big budget release was ruined by, arguably, the biggest controversy in gaming this year.

Star wars battlefront ea sales