2K Games, the publisher of the upcoming looter shooter Borderlands 3 confirmed that the game will have cosmetic-only microtransactions that will not impact gameplay. Players will be able to spend real-world money on skins and customisation.
Just like many AAA games on the market, Borderlands 3 will also allow you to spend your hard-earned money on fancy cosmetics and customisation options beyond the initial purchase price, it's been officially confirmed by the game's publisher 2K Games and developer Gearbox.
Following the yesterday's gameplay reveal, Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford took to stage to talk about the game and what exactly players can expect in terms of in-game purchases once Borderlands 3 launches.
Pitchford stated that they have "kickass" DLC campaign in the works and that the game would feature customisation items like skins and heads that will be totally optional. "We're not doing any of that free-to-play junk. There's not going to be any microtransactions, there's not going to be any of that nonsense," Pitchford explained Gearbox's plans for the in-game monetisation.
To be fair, his statement is a bit confusing. Pitchford first claims that they will have microtransactions just to say there won't be any "free-to-play junk" whatever that means. He's probably trying to say they won't incentivise purchases trough gameplay or throw these into players' faces at every corner.
Pitchford once again commented on the matter via his Twitter account. He said that loot boxes, premium currency and "that kind of stuff" will certainly not be in Borderlands 3 and that the game's cosmetics will be similar to those found in Borderlands 2.
While it may be true that Gearbox won't include predatory loot boxes in their looter-shooter, character, vehicle and weapon skins that can be bought with real-world money are certainly considered as microtransactions.
Of course, including in-game purchases is not a bad thing per se, when done right, it's just that it almost always becomes a talking point when a fully priced game includes these. Hopefully, we won't have a lot of reasons to talk about Borderlands 3's in-game purchases once the game launches.
Gearbox Software
Borderlands 3 is out on 13 September 2019 on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Borderlands 3 is an Action RPG by Gearbox Software
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