The Microtransactions in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Have Drawn Much Criticism
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s microtransactions have been criticized as greedy and exploitative but Ubisoft has denied that the game’s design forces players to spend extra money in order to progress more quickly.
“Time-savers, such as the Permanent XP Boost, are 100% optional for players who want to supercharge their progression, and were not considered in any of the economy or difficulty balancing of the game,” a Ubisoft representative recently told Kotaku. “Players have the ability to change the difficulty setting at any time in the Main Menu Options to find the right level of challenge for them.”
For the price of $10, the aforementioned Permanent XP Boost instantly gives players a 50% XP boost for the rest of the game which can be used to more quickly level up. Leveling up in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is really important because fighting enemies and completing quests can become extremely difficult if the player hasn’t leveled up sufficiently.
In the view of many gamers, these sorts of microtransactions are exploitative since they can force players to spend extra money on an already purchased game in order to progress in a reasonable time frame. Well-known games critic Jim Sterling has criticized microtransactions in the past and has recently called Ubisoft “greedy” for implementing them in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
Polygon’s executive editor & co-founder, Chris Plante, has described the Permanent XP Boost in particular as an unfortunate “right option” for those who want a more enjoyable experience that doesn’t involve grinding their way through the game by being forced to do quests or activities that they don’t care for in order to level up.
However, Ubisoft contends that the leveling system is designed to encourage players to engage with the game’s content not force them to take out their debit or credit cards. Since Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is an open-world RPG then players can expect to have to level up by exploring the world & doing sidequests, Ubisoft said to Kotaku. They also said that the challenges the game puts forward can beaten with “skill and perseverance” if players are underleveled.
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