In a surprise move, DOOM Eternal has released two DLC skin packs that players can only acquire with real money. This is despite developer assurances that the game would not feature microtransactions. Marketing an upcoming video game as not having microtransactions or pay-to-win features is one of the easiest strategies for getting players excited about a project, but unfortunately, there are no real consequences for breaking that promise. In the case of 2016’s DOOM, the game stayed true to its promise of not including microtransactions in an effort to hearken back to the era of the first DOOM games.
In modern times, most gamers have learned to take promises of a microtransaction-free video game with a grain of salt. Although it generally means that microtransactions won’t be present when the game launches, there can never be any assurance that it won’t happen down the line. In Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled, for example, Activision initially won over many fans of the original Crash Team Racing by making everything in the game’s stop cosmetic and only acquirable with in-game currency. However, once the game had been praised by several major outlets for its approach to the online shop, Activision quietly added the ability to purchase in-game currency with real money and conveniently raised the prices of the shop’s items.
According to Video Games Chronicle, Hugo Martin, DOOM Eternal’s director, explicitly stated in a Facebook comment that DOOM Eternal would not feature a store at all due to its status as a triple-A title and “not a free to play game or mobile game.” However, as of yesterday, players can now purchase the “DOOMicorn Master Collection Cosmetic Pack” and the “Series One Cosmetic Pack” for $5 and $9, respectively. While these items have no functional effect on gameplay (and players rarely see their character anyway), it is still a firm departure from Martin’s promise last year.
To the developer’s credit, these skin packs did not start out as microtransactions. The DOOMicorn pack was available through Twitch and the Series One pack could be earned for free during Season One. By doing this, however, DOOM Eternal’s developers may have boxed themselves into a corner; if rewards that are marketed as “limited time only” can be earned at any time, then the concept of having seasons becomes meaningless. On the other hand, it is undoubtedly unfair to prevent players from accessing content simply because they didn’t buy the game on the developer’s schedule. In these cases, the only options are to either lock the content away for a significant amount of time or make it available to purchase.
This issue isn’t limited to DOOM Eternal. In Call of Duty: Warzone, one of the most consistent arguments against the infamous Rose skin–an all-black skin for one of the game’s operators which makes her difficult to spot in dark areas–is that it was unattainable after the game’s fifth season. This, in conjunction with the benefits it provides, has resulted in players branding this skin as an example of pay-to-win content. Luckily, the skins available for purchase in DOOM Eternal do not give players any advantages. In today’s gaming environment, however, there remains a clear need for a middle ground between seasonal content and microtransactions. Until then, promises of a microtransaction-free video game will continue to be met with skepticism.
Source: Video Game Chronicle