Rocket League
Microtransactions can be a real drag when done incorrectly, as evidenced by last year’s several high-profile controversies. When done correctly though, microtransactions can offer players a shortcut in games they would otherwise be too busy to play. They also allow players to add aesthetic flair to their characters while extending the longevity of a game significantly. So let’s commend the games which show restraint and respect for their players, the ones which offer up consistent, high-quality content. Here are 10 games which do microtransactions the right way.
Rocket League was the surprise hit of 2015. The team at Psyonix made the shrewd business move of offering the game up as a PS Plus freebie at launch. Since then, they have added a ton of free content to the game. To facilitate this, Rocket League also offers certain items to purchase via microtransactions.
In the past, the game has featured collaborations with Hot Wheels, DC and Fast and Furious. When the Batfleck Batmobile dropped, matches were positively dominated by them, proving just how much of the player base continued to buy into the game’s microtransactions. By keeping things simple, basing each new skin on the models available with the game, Psyonix allows players to show some love for their favorite games, movies, or even YouTubers, without upsetting the balance of the game. These items are purely cosmetic and give no advantage in-game. The right choice in such a skill-based experience.
Assassin’s Creed Origins
A surprise entry from Ubisoft here, given that previous Assassin’s Creed games have handled microtransactions so poorly. Origins takes a different tact to, say, Unity, showing the player the microtransaction system at the start of the game, then never again. The Helix Credits screen is situated on a different menu to everything else and allows players to purchase new mounts, outfits and weapons. Almost everything you can buy with Helix credits can be earned in game by leveling up and grinding, so the system is mostly for those wanting to save time getting to their favorite weapon or mount.
All players who purchased the Season Pass or finished the game’s prologue received Helix Credits to spend in-game. This try before you buy aspect allows players to see if the microtransactions are worth it for them before putting down real money. Origins is a completely single-player affair too, meaning that there is no pay-to-win ugliness.
GTA Online
We’re fast approaching five years of GTA Online. There’s a lot to be said about the way Rockstar has continued its support for the game, adding everything from heists to Doomsday Missions and DLC. Another reason for the game’s success is for the sheer amount its players spend on microtransactions. Buying everything from cars to apartment buildings, players are particularly prone to showing off in GTA Online which, given the game’s themes and commentary on commercialism, fits in perfectly.
These steady additions help push GTA Online in directions unseen in the series up to this point. Ask any GTA Online player back at launch what they thought the multiplayer world would contain in a few years and you’d definitely not be hearing flying DeLoreans and Deadpool outfits. GTA Online is a true sandbox in which players can live a second life, complemented by deep customization options and the ability to spend as much or as little money as they wish. The game never forces you to dip into microtransactions. There’s certainly plenty to do with the free content. What it does do is add a new coat of paint to an almost five-year-old experience, something which I’m sure Rockstar has planned for Red Dead Redemption 2 later this year.
LittleBigPlanet
Despite the charming campaigns that each LittleBigPlanet brought us, it was the creation tools that really built up the communities around each game. Each entry saw a ton of awesome paid for content, modelled after franchises such as Metal Gear Solid, Assassin’s Creed, and The Incredibles. While the costumes and stickers themselves weren’t all that special, what they meant for the user-created content certainly was.
Each new pack inspired hundreds of new themed user-created levels, breathing new life into the game. The Metal Gear Solid Pack, in particular, sparked a new emphasis on stealth-driven levels, something which, up to that point, had been largely a niche space within the community. Seeing the complex and increasingly convoluted narrative of Metal Gear condensed into a five-minute level built out of arts and crafts is a true joy to behold and shows that microtransactions can indeed give us something good.
Overwatch
Overwatch has one of the most devoted and hungry fan bases in gaming today. Thanks to its eclectic roster of characters, many of which have their own fan following, the team-based shooter has managed to extend its life cycle via the introduction of new skins. Each one is particularly high quality, often sporting new dialogue and emotes. It’s all purely cosmetic too, designed to add aesthetic flourish, but no tactical advantage.
Players are also unable to directly spend real money on specific items with Blizzard instead opting for a trading card model in which players receive a collection of items with a chance for rare ones. The high quality, coupled with the fervid nature of the fan-base, results in a must-have-it attitude which has been very beneficial for the game so far. Blizzard recently introduced Black Cat D.Va into the game which has already sparked a wonderfully creative movement of cosplay and fan-art, and has ultimately created yet another sub-sect of devoted Overwatch fans.
Dota 2
Dota 2 is one of the biggest games on the planet and a money-making machine. Given its popularity and success thus far, it would be easy for Valve to rest on its laurels and start milking the game dry. Instead, Valve has been surprisingly restrained, reserving microtransactions for cosmetic upgrades. New announcers, environmental effects, character skins, and HUD skins are all available to purchase with an emphasis on high quality evident throughout.
You can only imagine the inevitable backlash if Valve was to get a little more greedy with its microtransactions so, for now at least, it seems in everyone’s best interest to keep it all cosmetic. The longevity and relevance of each new piece of content is intrinsically tied to the game’s Steam Community Market. It’s interesting to see a game create its own economy, especially one as active as this, lending more sway to the argument that Dota 2 players are largely, pretty satisfied with the game’s approach to microtransactions.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Since its release early last year, PUBG has slowly but surely been implementing microtransactions. Themed cosmetic packs are available for purchase either by playing the game and earning Battle Points or by purchasing loot crates. What is particularly cool on developer Bluehole’s part is that it fully discloses the drop rates. There’s also the increasingly popular practice of using loot crates and microtransactions to contribute to the prize pools of competitive events. Last year, PUBG introduced the Gamescom Invitational Crate which did exactly that, putting across the idea that money spent by players was going towards something great for the community.
There have been several discussions around the gambling-aspect of microtransactions, something which PUBG Corp seems to have taken to heart. Players can only open up to six crates a week, hopefully curbing addictive tendencies and people abusing the system, a feature which other companies would be wise to adopt.
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