Battlefield 1 Will Have Both Microtransactions and Map PacksÂ
During an investor call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson confirmed that the upcoming Battlefield 1 will have microtransactions as well as the much hated map packs. While Wilson stated that “we never want to be in a place where there’s a belief that we are providing a pay to win mechanic”, he does want to take advantage of an “extra monetization opportunity”.
Here is the full quote:
“As relates to Battlefield 1 and extra monetization opportunity, taking a step back, any time we think about extra monetization inside an experience, we really think about it on two vectors: One, are we able to provide value to the gamer, in terms of extending and enhancing their experience? And two, are we able to do that in a world where we give them choice? We never want to be in a place where there’s a belief that we are providing a pay to win mechanic inside of one of our games.”
Wilson also elaborated on what these extra monetization opportunities would look like, and stated they were to “extend and enhance [player] experience.
“Given that in Battlefield 1, you will see both macro monetization opportunities from us like maps and large scale content, as well as micro monetization opportunities, smaller increments of gameplay, and then over time, what you will see from us is elements of gameplay that allow gamers to engage and drive, and extend and enhance their experience, much the way people do with FIFA Ultimate Team or Madden Ultimate Team today. We feel very confident in our ability to deliver that in a way that is deemed valuable by our player, and drives increased engagement over time with them.”
This seems like a poor choice to adopt a model that so many gamers despise, given what a fortunate position that Battlefield 1 is currently in. Of course, we are referring to the massive hate currently directed towards their biggest competitor: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. An update on that fiasco: 452K likes to 2.8 million dislikes.