Are loot boxes ruining Star Wars, Hearthstone, and … everything? GamesBeat Decides

This week’s GamesBeat Decides podcast was already a long one, and then — right before we were going to upload it — we had to make it even longer. That’s because hosts Jeffrey Grubb and Mike Minotti pulled an emergency bonus session to talk about the breaking news that Electronic Arts has closed Dead Space developer Visceral and canceled its Star Wars game. That revelation is shocking on its own, but EA made it even more startling with a candid blog that explains why it made this choice.

Put simply: loot boxes.