microtransactions
Latest
'Star Wars: Squadrons' won't have microtransactions or constant add-ons
'Star Wars: Squadrons' won't just let you earn everything through gameplay -- there are no microtransactions or plans for a 'live service' roadmap.
Aibo update lets you program your robot puppy's actions
Not happy with what Sony's reborn Aibo can do? You now have the power to make it do more. Sony has rolled out a 2.50 update for the robot dog that enables, among other things, a web-based interface for programming actions. Beginners can use a visual programming kit that uses blocks to create actions, while seasoned programmers can participate in a Developer Program. You can't modify the personalty of your Aibo, to be clear -- this is mainly for tricks and other activities Sony didn't envision itself.
'Rocket League' will allow players to trade its not-quite-loot boxes
Rocket League developer Psyonix has revealed additional details about how the game's revised blueprint system will work when it launches next month. If you haven't followed Rocket League in a while, blueprints will soon replace the game's existing loot crates. They're designed to provide more transparency on the in-game items you can buy using real-world money. Each time you earn a blueprint, you'll be able to see exactly the item it unlocks. You can then either decide to purchase the drop or save it in your inventory to buy at a later date. Additionally, Psyonix revealed today that you'll also be able to trade any revealed blueprints, as well as any in-game items you used the schematics to buy, with other players.
Fall 'Destiny 2' update makes it easier to spend money in-game
Destiny 2 developer Bungie is doubling down on microtransactions as a way to fund the continued development of its popular online shooter. In a recent blog post, Destiny franchise director Luke Smith detailed how microtransactions (or MTX) will play a more prominent part in the Destiny 2 experience.
Senate bill would ban paid loot boxes in games aimed at kids
Efforts to crack down on loot boxes in the US might be underway in earnest. Senator Josh Hawley has introduced a bill, the Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act, that would bar games from including paid loot boxes, pay-to-win mechanics and other potentially exploitative elements in games that are either aimed at kids under 18 or knowingly let those children make microtransactions. These practices spur "compulsive habits," Hawley said, and developers shouldn't be permitted to "monetize addiction."
'Fallout 76' update adds contentious 'pay-to-win' item
Bethesda started the microtransactions controversy on consoles with horse armor, and since 2006 it has extended to every annual sports game, Battlefield V, and anything you can squeeze a loot box system into. In just the latest controversy for Fallout 76, the company has made a decision to add an item to the game that players feel comes far to close to being "pay to win." Once Patch 8 rolls out later today, players will be able to use "repair kits" to patch up their damaged or worn out weapons and armor instead of relying on other resources that take time and effort to gather. While Improved Repair Kits that give your items even more power will only be available in rare drops, the basic repair kits that instantly restore an item to 100 percent health have to be bought using the game's currency, Atoms. You can get that through gameplay, but you can also buy it with real money. As Kotaku points out, players who drop cash can not only avoid the grind of collecting materials or Atoms, they could also potentially have the edge in PvP fights by instantly fixing key weapons or armor in their Pip-Boy and continuing on almost indefinitely.
Real-money transactions are coming to 'Battlefield V' tomorrow
Like it or not, EA's fondness for microtransactions has spread to Battlefield V. DICE and EA are launching a Battlefield Currency system on April 4th that uses real money for purchases, not just the virtual Company Coins you earn through gameplay. At first, it'll be used strictly for cosmetic items, including new Epic-ranked items. Later, however, it'll be used for items with a more practical effect on gameplay -- and that might not be the greatest news for gamers.
Facebook willingly let kids spend their parents' money and didn't stop it
Facebook employees recognized that children were running up massive tabs spending money on games but opted not to give refunds, according to Reveal News. The revelation was made as a result of court documents from a 2012 class-action lawsuit filed against Facebook that a federal judge recently ruled to make public.
Federal Trade Commission agrees to investigate loot boxes
The Federal Trade Commission has agreed to investigate loot boxes in games, along with their impact on kids. The agency's commissioners committed to the probe after Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) raised the issue at a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee hearing. Loot boxes offer players in-game items, but because you can often buy them with real money and the virtual goods within are awarded at random, some claim they're tantamount to gambling.
‘Gran Turismo Sport’ update lets you pay real money for cars
Gran Turismo Sport just released a new patch, and amid gameplay and cosmetic updates, you'll find the option to buy cars with your real hard-earned money. Developer Polyphony Digital is putting more than 200 cars on sale in PS Store and Brand Central despite earlier assurances that the game would not include microtransactions.
'Shadow of War' will drop its in-game currency system on May 8th
The backlash against heavy-handed in-game purchasing systems is starting to spread to those games that weren't directly caught up in the firestorm. Monolith is phasing out Middle-earth: Shadow of War's Gold currency over the next few months -- you'll lose the option of buying Gold on May 8th, while any existing Gold, the Market and War Chests will cease to exist on July 17th. If you still have leftover Gold on that last date, it'll be converted to in-game items. As Monolith describes it, the virtual currency was souring the experience of the game itself.
Belgium moves to ban 'Star Wars Battlefront 2'-style loot boxes
We learned last week that Belgium's gambling authority was investigating loot crates in Star Wars Battlefront II over concerns that they constitute gambling. Now, the decision is in, and the answer is a resounding yes, according to Dutch-language publication VTM Nieuws. The commission claims that purchasable add-on boxes, the contents of which are randomized, mix "money and addiction" and thus are a form of gambling.
EA patches 'Star Wars Battlefront II' to address technical issues
EA has faced a Star Destroyer's worth of trouble over the just-released Star Wars Battlefront II, most notably the backlash over the micro transactions that were panned as too expensive while also encouraging a pay-to-win vibe. EA subsequently pulled all transactions (temporarily) from the game. The game had its own set of technical problems, as well, which have also been addressed by the development team in a new patch available now for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
EA pulls in-game purchases from 'Star Wars: Battlefront II'
The launch of Star Wars: Battlefront II has been marred by controversy over the game's loot system. While players can earn bonuses like new heroes, equipment and vehicles by playing to earn credits that purchase loot crates, they could also buy more crates with "crystals" sold for real-world money. Predictably, the effect of this came off as allowing or encouraging players to pay to win, which has made gamers and even some regulators unhappy. Tonight, EA announced it's pulling the plug on all in-game purchases, as DICE GM Oskar Gabrielson said the company will "spend more time listening, adjusting, balancing and tuning." At first the company tried making some heroes easier to earn, but clearly, that wasn't enough. Gabrielson says that the plan is for crystal purchases to return eventually, but it's difficult to see how that will be received well if players are still buying items that have a real impact. While the "digital deluxe edition" has already been playable for a few days, the game's worldwide launch is happening now -- let us know if this changes your decision to buy.
Blendle's pay-per-article service is available on mobile devices
If you use Dutch startup Blendle to read all your news, you're in for a treat: The previously desktop-only app is going mobile for both iOS and Android for simpler enlightenment on the go.
'Godus Wars' developer kills microtransactions after outcry
Last week Peter Molyneux had to contend with a hacked Twitter account, but this week he's dealing with disgruntled gamers. His 22cans studio just released a Steam Early Access version of Godus Wars, the much-anticipated, more fighty sequel to Godus. However, buyers weren't happy to discover that the title, which is free to buyers of the original Godus and $14.99 for everyone else, included a $5 microtransaction package. As Steam user Mucker_2202 said, "to release this into early access and ask for any kind of payment should be a crime."
The new 'Destiny' emotes might just be worth buying
I won't blame you if you're skeptical of Bungie's plan to add purchasable emotes to Destiny on October 13th. Would you really want to pay for a canned animation? If some early previews are any indication, though, the answer might well be "yes." Some of the expressions are a bit cliché, if fun (like the "come at me, bro" emote you see above). However, there are some proper gems in there, including nods to The Matrix and a certain Fresh Prince of Bel Air star. It's doubtful that the market for these Destiny emotes will be as big as that for, say, Team Fortress 2 hats -- you may buy something once to personalize your Guardian, and that's that. Even so, this idea doesn't seem quite as dubious as it did a week earlier. [Image credit: Arekkz Gaming, YouTube]
'Destiny' is getting microtransactions, but don't panic yet
Destiny is getting microtransactions. Unlike item cool-downs or the obnoxious stuff that's intrinsic to all those Facebook distractions that clog up your news feed, however, these purchases aren't game-impacting. No, come October 13th they'll take the form of emotes and other cosmetic items. Developer Bungie stresses repeatedly that these will not impact your performance in any way should you not buy them. "You won't lose a Crucible (adversarial multiplayer) encounter or fail to clear a raid because you didn't have the right" emote equipped, the blog post says.
'Titanfall' is going free-to-play in Asia
Free-to-play games are big business outside of America and Titanfall is the next big shooter joining the ranks of Halo and Call of Duty in taking that route. Publisher Electronic Arts is working with Nexon (the company behind Maple Story and FIFA Online 3) to take developer Respawn Entertainment's mech-based shooter to China, Japan, Korea, Macau and regions of Southeast Asia including Cambodia and Thailand. Naturally, it'll only be a PC version of the game since that plays well in internet cafes, but any other details aren't known at this point. However, the F2P model could actually translate pretty easily considering the game's Burn Card system that rewards players with single-use power-ups is similar to how existing microtransaction-based games function. Stand by for Titanfall, Asia.
'Diablo 3' getting free-to-play features, but not in the US or Europe
Blizzard may have shut down the Real Money Auction House after contention from the community, but it's opening up a new way to potentially use real money for in-game items. The difference here is that it's doing it in territories that are pretty accustomed to this sort of thing already -- most likely China. On the developer's American and European forums, an employee writes that an upcoming patch will add a new currency ("platinum"), timed experience boosts, cosmetic items, character slots and a tweaked UI to handle all of the above. Basically, the type of microtransactions that are fairly common in free-to-play games. As Gamasutra notes, Blizzard already has a partnership with NetEase (a Chinese internet company that has a web portal and its own massively multiplayer role-playing game), which operates a version of Diablo 3 in the country. All that to say, this makes sense for Blizzard.
