EA's infamous Battlefront II lootbox comment wins world record

EA made it into the Guinness Book of World Records 2020 for all the wrong reasons.

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In 2017, the big Battlefront II lootbox kerfuffle was etched into the annals of gaming history. The controversy, which saw Battlefront II as an egregious pay-to-win scheme full of grinding and tedium, changed the industry. It sent a shockwave through the billion-dollar lootbox market, causing many publishers to switch to cosmetic-only monetization, and even triggered massive scrutiny from worldwide regulators. In a way EA kind of changed everything for the better...but that doesn't make the most recent world record sting any less.

EA's infamous "pride and accomplishments" Reddit is now part of the Guinness Book of World Records as the most-downvoted Reddit comment of all time. The comment currently has 683,000 downvotes. It's not the kind of thing you want to be known for in any industry...let alone an entertainment one. The record was found in the 2020 edition and gamers passed around the news across Reddit, message boards, and various social media outlets for a good reminder of how oblivious some devs can be.

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It's worth noting Battlefront II has changed tremendously over the years. The lootbox system was scrapped and then massively overhauled, progression was revamped, and the game now has a huge offering of post-launch content that includes new heroes, new game modes, and new maps.

It's still a live service game and it's still monetized, but it's not nearly as bad as it was.

Here's a refresher on Reddit's most unpopular comment of all time:

"The intent is to provide players with a sense of pride and accomplishment for unlocking different heroes.

"As for cost, we selected initial values based upon data from the Open Beta and other adjustments made to milestone rewards before launch.

"Among other things, we're looking at average per-player credit earn rates on a daily basis, and we'll be making constant adjustments to ensure players have challenges that are compelling, rewarding, and of course attainable via gameplay.

"We appreciate the candid feedback, and the passion the community has put forth around the current topics here on Reddit, our forums, and across numerous social media outlets.

"Our team will continue to make changes and monitor community feedback and update everyone as soon and as often as we can."