According to DICE, Battlefield V Won’t Be A ‘Pay To Win’ Game
Developer DICE was on hand today during the official Battlefield V reveal event with a deluge of information about the upcoming shooter. In addition to discussing the new location for the game and time period (World War II, just as many of us suspected), we also learned that it will not be featuring a battle royale mode, and perhaps most importantly, it will not be a “pay to win” game.
Host Trevor Noah asked the burning question on players’ minds during a Q&A session as he chatted with the developers: Will the game be play to win or otherwise allow players to spend cash to help gain some sort of advantage? DICE replied, rather definitively, that “No, you can’t pay to get an unfair gameplay advantage in Battlefield V.” That about cinches it, really. Noah asked if that would change if he “has a lot of money,” and DICE in turn explained that Battlefield is a very balanced game with “rock, paper, scissors” gameplay. “Skill is really key,” they concluded, which should be good news for anyone worried whether or not there’s going to be some sort of ridiculous pay-to-win features that are being hidden until release.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there won’t be something similar to loot boxes or some way for the developer to recoup costs — perhaps not loot boxes specifically, but something fans can help generate additional funds with. DICE did confirm that Battlefield V will not have a Premium Pass. Previously, the Battlefield Premium Pass acted as a gateway to unlocking all of the series’ post-launch content such as maps, game modes, and even the privilege to play online. While it offered a swath of additional content, many players saw it as unfair and price-gouging, especially when you couldn’t play the game with friends who had purchased certain maps and not others.
However, they didn’t explain how they would be generating additional revenue beyond the game’s entry price, which is likely going to come in the form of cosmetic purchases or something like it in the future. DICE has left this particular aspect open to speculation, though it seems as though the developer is committed to ensuring fans don’t have to worry about any unfair advantages being purchasable by fans with more disposable income.
We’ll likely be hearing more about plans to monetize the game beyond the initial purchase price as E3 2018 rounds the corner. There’s still a lot we don’t know about, after all. Battlefield V is releasing on October 19, 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.