"Battlefield 1" has been getting plenty of positive press ever since it was announced two weeks ago. The trailer has become the most viewed trailer on YouTube, and the game is being touted as the one that can finally dethrone "Call of Duty" from its perch as king of console first-person-shooters.
However, it seems that during that time many had forgotten that the "Battlefield" franchise is published by EA which isn't the most well-liked company. And now, it seems like EA was intent on reminding everyone of that fact after it has confirmed that both micro-transactions and map packs will be making a return in "Battlefield 1."
The return of these two hated features was sneakily confirmed by EA CEO Andrew Wilson during an investor call last week.
"In 'Battlefield 1' you will see both macro-monetization-like maps and large-scale content-as well as micro-monetization opportunities," Wilson said. "These will be smaller increments of gameplay. Over time what you'll see from us is elements of gameplay that allow gamers to engage and expand their experience much the way people do with FIFA Ultimate Team today."
The intent to have micro-transactions make a return is quite clear, but what they entail isn't as clear-cut. The immediate assumption would be that they'll come in the form of Battlepacks, and if that's the case, there's at least some solace in knowing that they won't be game-breaking and cause "Battlefield 1" to devolve into a pay-to-win game.
“We never want to be in a place where there’s a belief that we are providing a pay-to-win mechanic inside one of our games," Wilson continued. “When we think about extra monetization inside an experience, we really think about it in two vectors: one, are we able to provide value to the gamer in terms of extended or enhancing their experience; and two, are we able to do that in a world where we give them choice.”
This announcement leaves us at an impasse. Yes, there is money to be made in micro-transactions. For example, Rockstar made more than $500 million in "GTA Online" off micro-transactions alone. However, comparing "GTA Online" to "Battlefield 1" (or any FPS for that matter) is like comparing apples and oranges, and we've seen the damage they can cause in FPS like "Call of Duty: Black Ops III."
At the very least, we can expect the micro-transactions to not be as bad as what was seen in BlOps III. The fact that Wilson even chose to make this remark to investors, who don't really care about game balance, is a testament to that. Though, in the end, it might have been nice to not have them present in the game to begin with.
"Battlefield 1" will launch on PS4, Xbox One and PC this October. EA is slated to show off more about the game during its pre-E3 event in June.
