Ah, microtransactions, the bane of every free-to-play (F2P) gamer’s existence. But given how we’re living in a distinctly capitalist economy, monetisation has become virtually inescapable. Nevertheless, after the emphatic backlash against loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront 2, game developer DICE has taken a more measured approach for its upcoming Battlefield V live services system, Tides of War.
? Tune in to the latest episode of #Battlefield V Dev Talks now! David Sirland talks with Erik Ortman and Ryan McArthur to bring you news about Tides of War and what you can expect from Battlefield V after launch: https://t.co/vLmsNREQxc pic.twitter.com/pf3xxHzPoW
— #Battlefield V (@Battlefield) October 29, 2018
The result? Cosmetic microtransactions, which… sounds like a fairly good deal, all things considered. With skill and gear upgrades free from monetising gimmicks, there’s really no reason to suspect the game of being pay-to-win. Although, if you’re the sort who’s aesthetically particular, you may be persuaded to cash out every once in a while to spruce up your character.
There will be two currencies in the virtual economy: Company Coin — earned by completing missions, assignments or going up the Career Rank — and Battlefield Currency — which you purchase using real-life cash, to buy cosmetic skins. It’s better explained in EA’s infographic here:
With drop rates for Company Coins still a veritable mystery — and it’ll probably remain a mystery till launch, it may be just so that they’re rare enough to render cosmetic upgrades only accessible to Battlefield Currency users. But really, if it isn’t going to affect the general gameplay experience, we don’t see a reason to kick up a fuss. Let’s not ask to both have our cake and eat it, shall we?
Currencies aside, it’s also been revealed that there will be a number of different ranks we’ll have to work on — Career Rank, as previously mentioned; Class Rank, which goes up with the frequency in which you use a class; Equipment Rank and Vehicle Rank are pretty self-explanatory; and then there’s Chapter Rank, which goes up when you make progress in Battlefield V’s story mode AKA Chapter.
And that wraps up all the latest information the developers have dropped on us. Battlefield V will be released on Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 20, 2018.
JoYFQ is a Gryffindor who distracts herself from the pitfalls of capitalism and hegemonic representations by reading fanfiction. Has surprisingly good RNG luck in games. Probably just jinxed herself.
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Jake Su
