Star Wars: Battlefront II fan outrage shakes Wall Street’s confidence

Electronic Arts’ stock price has climbed steadily since 2012 as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were winding down, but some Wall Street analysts are not sure about the publisher’s latest big release and the public reaction to it. Fans are angry at what they perceive as mechanics that enable people who pay extra money to gain an advantage in online multiplayer sessions in Star Wars: Battlefront II, which launches Friday. That led to an EA comment setting a new record as the most downvoted comment in the history of Reddit.

This outrage comes on top of some other concerns for Battlefront II. Its preorders were tracking 60 percent behind its predecessor in October, according to sources familiar with the situation. And now, during launch week, Wall Street investment firms are worried about fans who are furious about how much it costs to unlock heroes and character upgrades in the multiplayer mode.