There are a number of concerns associated with having microtransactions in a game, especially in multiplayer, the most prominent of which being that it turns the playing field into a pay-to-win arena, where players who are more willing or able to part with extra cash get an unfair advantage over players who are better skilled. Other GTA fans take issue with being asked for more money after already paying $60-80 for the game.
Rockstar has apparently been getting a bit of an earful from GTA V players in response to the announcement of microtransaction details, and has addressed these worries about GTA Online becoming pay-to-win in a Newswire post:
Evolving the experience with players is one thing but presumably a balance will need to be found between making it virtually impossible for those who don’t pay extra to beat those who do invest in microtransactions, and making it so easy and/or fun to earn money the regular way that no one actually bothers to put down real cash for in-game dollars. When the system was first announced, Rockstar explained that microtransactions were for the GTA player who desires “instant gratification,” which could also include people who don’t have as much free time to spend playing the game.
“Please also remember that in GTA Online, hustling to afford the finer things by earning GTA$ doing robberies, stick-ups, winning races and other profitable activities is a fun gameplay experience rather than ever being a ‘grind’. As we mentioned on Wednesday, we will constantly tweak all areas of the game to make it play fairer and iron out any balancing problems (while fixing all the other problems we encounter!), but we really need your help in figuring out what those issues are. So please work with us on that!”
Keeping the microtransactions optional and ensuring that high-end items and upgrades can only be unlocked by building up RP should hopefully mean that skilled and dedicated players still keep the overall advantage, but if the ways of earning money in GTA Online really are so much fun, then why offer a shortcut to skipping this gameplay experience entirely? It’s also a little strange to hear a purchase that costs over a quarter of the game’s full retail price referred to as a “microtransaction.”
Are you the instant gratification type who will be buying up in-game cash with real money, or are you going to earn your way up through the ranks of GTA Online the old-fashioned illegal way? Tell us if you think Rockstar has handled this aspect of the multiplayer well in the comments.
Grand Theft Auto V is available now for PS3 and XBox 360.
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Source: Rockstar Games (via VG247)
