BioWare Explains How Anthem Will Handle Microtransactions
In recent years, the trend of loot boxes and in-game purchases has been on the rise. While many [...]
In recent years, the trend of loot boxes and in-game purchases has been on the rise. While many companies do this the 'right' way in the sense that it's purely optional and doesn't affect the game in any negative way, others abused the system a bit too much. After the pay-to-win model was exposed shortly after Star Wars Battlefront II's launch, the industry was turned on its head both with those working in it, and those enjoying the fruits of their label. Because of that controversy, developers are having to be very careful when it comes to including this feature in their games on top of utter transparency with their fans. Enter BioWare's Mark Darrah.
The executive producer has been on a roll lately on his social media accounts, answering fan questions left and right while also alleviating a few worries. When the topic of microtransactions came up, Darrah had an answer for that to.
"No loot boxes, no ability to pay for power. There will be cosmetics that we will be saying, but we want to make sure that you can see what you're buying before you get it, before you spend any money on it." he said before adding, "No blind drops"
You can also hear the pair talk about it a bit in the Twitch clip at the top of the article and though it's not a lot, it's more than we had before. Ever since Anthem was first revealed, many heard the world "online" attached to the EA name and immediately thought the worst. Microtransactions in online gaming is nothing new and it used to not mean anything negative. Purely voluntary, players could partake if they wanted customization, and they could ignore if they didn't care. It wasn't until the abuse of this feature started that gamers started to mind.
It looks like Anthem will be taking the traditional approach, which is good! And the no blind drops is huge, because that has also been a growing trend in gaming. Hopefully this clip helped to alleviate some worries! Until then, Anthem will be releasing on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on February 22 of next year.