Update 1: 

EA has released the following statement by GM of DICE, Oskar Gabrielson on their official website which clarified earlier assumptions that all progression will be earned through gameplay. YAY!

However, he did point out that “The ability to purchase crystals in-game will become available at a later date, only after we’ve made changes to the game”. We don’t mind the Crystals, really. As along as they aren’t stat-boosting and game-deciding.

Make the Crystals as currencies to purchase some specific skins – e.g Phase 2 Clone Trooper and we’d gladly give you our credit card number, EA. Who doesn’t want to play as Captain Rex?

The full statement from the DICE GM are as follows:

“Thank you to everyone in our community for being the passionate fans that you are.

Our goal has always been to create the best possible game for all of you – devoted Star Wars fans and game players alike. We’ve also had an ongoing commitment to constantly listen, tune and evolve the experience as it grows. You’ve seen this with both the major adjustments, and polish, we have made over the past several weeks.

But as we approach the worldwide launch, it’s clear that many of you feel there are still challenges in the design. We’ve heard the concerns about potentially giving players unfair advantages. And we’ve heard that this is overshadowing an otherwise great game. This was never our intention. Sorry we didn’t get this right.

We hear you loud and clear, so we’re turning off all in-game purchases. We will now spend more time listening, adjusting, balancing and tuning. This means that the option to purchase crystals in the game is now offline, and all progression will be earned through gameplay. The ability to purchase crystals in-game will become available at a later date, only after we’ve made changes to the game. We’ll share more details as we work through this.

We have created a game that is built on your input, and it will continue to evolve and grow. Star Wars Battlefront II is three times the size of the previous game, bringing to life a brand new Star Wars story, space battles, epic new multiplayer experiences across all three Star Wars eras, with more free content to come. We want you to enjoy it, so please keep your thoughts coming. And we will keep you updated on our progress.”

Seems like EA finally caved in and what better time to do so at launch of Battlefront II.

EA has removed the option to purchase Crystals completely from the store. According to sources close to MP1st, “an announcement is coming very, very soon.” which will see EA scrap the much detested transaction system that has been the bane for players to date, in favor of a progression-based system. Crystals are premium currencies which can be used to purchase loot crates that in turn ‘reward’ players with Star Cards enabling them to upgrade their characters.

A quick check on the Crystals store on the PS4 yielded this screen cap below:

We will be monitoring the situation and will update you once EA releases an official statement regarding the change.

Star Wars: Battlefront II is out in stores now.