Early Wednesday, rumors began to leak from a Reddit user who claimed to have found "cash cards" in the online version of GTA V, set to be released on Oct. 1 for free for those who already purchased the game. Now it turns out Rockstar Games has come forward and confirmed that the upcoming online version of the game will have a way to convert real money to in-game money.
"You can either quickly accumulate cash through profitable activities like knocking over armored cars, winning street races, doing stick-ups or a host of other cash-making endeavors - or if you're the completely instant gratification type, you can choose to buy denominations of GTA$. You will have the option to purchase GTA$ through the in-game Store. The game and its economy have been designed and balanced for the vast majority of players who will not buy extra cash. There is no in-game paywall and nothing that should disrupt the balance of the game. You don't have to spend real money to attain the cars, guns, clothes, flash and style of a high-roller in Los Santos, but can if you wish to get them a little quicker," Rockstar Games wrote in a blog post. "The economy is balanced differently from the single player economy, and cash earned in one cannot be taken over to the other. Most players will earn cash much faster Online than in Story Mode."
Rockstar seems like it really wants to stress that its decision to allow players with more disposable income to attain the better weapons, cars and items in the game that much faster will not necessarily give them an overpowering advantage against those who want to, or need to, earn all of the high-roller status legitimately.
This was a concern for many of the users who originally found the thread on Reddit that suggested the concept of microtransactions.
