Bioware’s Anthem To Take Traditional Approach With Microtransactions

Bioware has released very little details about its sci-fi shooter game, Anthem. However, the gaming developer’s executive producer recently revealed a few snippets about how the game will handle microtransactions.

Bioware exec Mark Darrah has been quite active on his social media account lately, answering fans’ questions about Anthem, reported ComicBook. One answer stood out amongst all the others and that was the one which directly referred to microtransactions in the highly-anticipated game.

“No loot boxes, no ability to pay for power. There will be cosmetics that we will be saying, but we want to make sure that (players) can see what you’re buying before you get it, before you spend any money on it. No blind drops”

That last tidbit was music to potential Anthem gamers’ ears. After EA’s Star Wars Battlefront II debacle, the gaming industry has had to deal with a lot of microtransaction backlash. When gamers heard that Anthem would be played online, one of the first things that came to mind was how Bioware would handle monetary transactions in the game. For now, it seems that the game developer has set a traditional monetary system in place, based on Darrah’s statement.

According to IGN, Bioware has stated in the past that Anthem players will be able to earn in-game currency. There is no premium currency. In fact, only in-game currency can be used to buy small amounts of crafting materials for merchants. IGN‘s information seems to support Darrah’s statement about microtransactions in Anthem. So far, the only purchasable goods that can be bought with real money in the game seem to be cosmetic changes. Gamers also have the option of earning cosmetics by playing the game, as revealed in a recent tweet on Anthem‘s official Twitter account.

Customize your Javelin to your style by earning a variety of cosmetics through simply playing the game. #AMAAAA pic.twitter.com/IUyQv7oY9T

— Anthem (@anthemgame) July 8, 2018

Anthem was named Best Action Game and Best PC Game by this year’s Game Critics Awards! February 22, 2019 can’t come soon enough. #AnthemGame pic.twitter.com/x29qmvMqI3

— Anthem (@anthemgame) July 6, 2018

In other Anthem-related news, Darrah also talked about weapons in the game recently on Twitch. The executive producer stated that armor pieces and guns in the game will have random stat rolls. Darrah did not elaborate any further on how Anthem’s weapons and gear would progress.

All that is known so far is that Bioware has set two styles of progression in Anthem. Gamers can either choose to invest and earn new, more powerful weapons or upgrade them. Overall, random stat rolls will encourage Anthem players to play with the two different progression styles. No one can really know what Bioware has in stock for future Anthem players until the game’s debut. The action-RPG is set to be released on February 22, 2019, on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.