Take-Two president Karl Slatoff was on-hand to talk about the publisher’s work and touched on the latest loot box controversy sparked by Star Wars Battlefront 2. Unsurprisingly, Slatoff sits firmly in the same camp as ESA/ESRB which does not deem loot boxes to be gambling.
“The whole gambling regulator thing, we don’t view that sort of thing as gambling. Our view of it is the same as the ESA statement for the most part. That’s going to play its course, but in terms of the consumer and the noise you hear in the market right now, for me it’s all about content. It’s about overdelivering on content and making sure you’re focused on engagement. I think that has been our strategy and where we’re focused, and as long as you keep your eye on that ball, you’re going to be OK. The consumer’s going to be really happy with what they get. You try to do your best to make the best experience and drive engagement, and driving engagement creates value in entertainment franchises.”
It’s apparent that the industry is going to be heavily divided on this issue for the foreseeable future. With some industry veterans trying to solve the problem of gambling and other predatory practices through attempts at self-regulation; and their opposition being planted firmly in the pockets of companies big and small that are willing to chase the almighty dollar by any means necessary.
With Star Wars Battlefront 2 wiping $3.1 billion from EA’s stock value, the only way to force change is to boycott the products. Only then will they start to listen to their consumers.
