When it comes to video games released into the industry today, there is a push to keep the game playable and money rolling in long after the initial release. This is done through a variety of means but the main focus is microtransactions. In the past few years, there were loot boxes that filled practically every game and it was only recently that it became a big problem with both fans and even governments around the world chiming in. Some had deemed loot boxes to be nothing more than a ploy to get players to pay money for a gamble. As a result, we’re seeing loot boxes get changed up and adapted to something a bit more fair.
One company that is doing away with loot boxes but still believe their practices will earn a profit with microtransactions is The Coalition. Right now the studio is preparing for its upcoming Gears 5 release which is slated to hit the markets on PC and Xbox One this September 10, 2019. With this upcoming video game, you won’t see any loot boxes, but there will still be available microtransactions. Speaking with Gamesinudstry.biz, Ryan Cleven, from The Coalition, stated that Gears 5 will allow players to purchase cosmetics and other in-game content like heroes. However, these heroes and even some cosmetics can be earned just by playing the game.
We really think we’re ahead of the industry here in getting rid of loot boxes and making sure that we can both service people that are looking to accelerate their progression or earn cosmetics using money but also keeping the integrity of the game experience.
It’s through this model that The Coalition feels that they are ahead in the industry by offering players a means to accelerate their progression but keeping the overall integrity of their video game. This may prove to be successful as players no longer have any loot boxes to potentially deal with or even a season pass to pay for.
Regardless, it’s going to be a waiting game right now to see just how successful this business model ends up being for The Coalition. While Gears 5 is an anticipated video game release this year, we’ll have to wait and see how this game stacks up with the past installments from the franchise.
Source: Gamesindustry.biz
