As you must be aware by now, many critics have come out against the microtransactions in Stars Wars Battlefront II, to the point that EA had to remove them for a time.
In a recent presentation (and via Games Industry), EA's chief financial officer, Blake Jorgensen, explained why the company didn't simply introduce a cosmetics-only loot box system. He begins with concerns of equity, as according to him not all players have the same playing time and some are willing to pay to compensate for this.
"We pulled off on the MTX, because the real issue the consumer had was they felt it was a pay-to-win mechanic. The reality is there are different types of players in games. Some people have more time than money, and some people have more money than time. You want to always balance those two."
He then elaborates on the level of authenticity of the game, which isn't particularly compatible with the cosmetic aspect, citing Darth Vader as an example:
"The one thing we're very focused on and they're extremely focused on is not violating the canon of Star Wars. It's an amazing brand that's been built over many, many years. So if you did a bunch of cosmetic things, you might start to violate the canon. Darth Vader in white probably doesn't make sense, versus in black. Not to mention you probably don't want Darth Vader in pink. No offense to pink, but I don't think that's right in the canon."
Jorgensen concluded by assuring that despite the few issues encountered, the game remains one of the best they have ever done. An impression shared, according to him, by many players, with the publisher is always listening as they look to improve the experience in the future.