'Anthem' Microtransaction Pricing and How Shards Work

Though we've known that BioWare's online IP Anthem would have purely cosmetic items for sale for those that choose to spiff up their Javelins, we didn't know how much those items would cost until now. With Origin subscribers having early access to the game and ourselves here at ComicBook diving right in, players finally have a chance to see what the title's economy looks like.

Since microtransactions have been a source of contention over the past several years, namely because of EA's misuse of this feature in the past, it's a bit of a sore spot for many developers. Because of that, many are being careful in how they implement this sort of availability for players and how they reveal it. In this case, Anthem uses Shards and when looking at other online titles with similar means of in-game purchasing, they're actually priced pretty fairly.

Here's a sample of the breakdown:

• 500 Shards = $4.99
• 1050 Shards = $8.99
• 2200 Shards = $17.99
• 4,600 Shards = $35.99

Games like Destiny and Call of Duty can ask for up to 100 bucks for in-game currency, for comparison. As far how that translates, players can buy complete armor backs for a ranging amount of prices, varying between 700-850 Shards. Textures, emblems, and materials can also all be purchased, most ranging in the 300 - 400 Shard price range.

Players that participated in the demo could see how the basics of the shop ran, including the variety of purchaseable options for the sake of seeing how it all worked. During that time, however, there was not accurate pricing given that the store was simply a placeholder for interested players to gauge.

As for the game itself, Anthem makes its grand debut on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on February 22nd! For those that have an EA Origin premium membership, an Early Access period has been granted for PC and Xbox One players as of today.

Thoughts on Anthem so far? Join in on the conversation in the comment section below, or hit me up over on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy.

Source: Reddit