Gears 5 was one of the major highlights of the Microsoft conference at E3 2019. Developer The Coalition mentioned that Gears 5 will have microtransactions but they will only be cosmetic. Buying items or weapons with real money that give players an advantage in-game are frowned upon in the gaming community.
Fans have already paid $60 for the game and want to have proper balance. If a player does not want to spend additional money then that should not hinder him from different aspects of the game. Microtransactions and lootboxes have put companies like EA under a microscope. EA got a lot of heat for lootboxes and microtransactions in Star Wars Battlefront 2.
It is great to hear that Gears 5 microtransactions are cosmetic only and nothing you buy with real money will affect how the game plays. Here is what The Coalition had to say regarding the matter:
We are committed to ensuring we preserve a fair competitive environment across our modes, so there will be no items in the store that provide a competitive advantage for real-money purchasers, i.e. no pay to win.
Players can buy a boost that gives then accelerated progress. It doubles multiplayer XP, doubles character XP in Escape and Horde mode, and doubles the speed for Supply Drop progression. While you do not need the boost to access any content in Gears 5 it is a microtransaction that can make progression faster.
Obviously, players do not have to buy it. The players that do not get the boost can still play the same content and get to the same levels, it will just take a bit longer. Players have been waiting for Gears 5 for a while now. I am sure that it is going to sell pretty well. The gameplay seems great, from what we have seen so far. This is Gears of War, so most people are going to be interested in the story.
It will be interesting to see where Gears 5 takes us and what kinds of twists and turns are there in the story. Microsoft has already confirmed that Gears 5 will have free DLC maps and that there will be no season pass. Microtransactions being cosmetic only is the cherry on top. Hopefully, the final game will be worth the wait.
Gears 5 will release on September 10 and will be available on Xbox and PC. If you have the Xbox Game Pass then you will be able to play it at launch. Let us know what you think about Gears 5 microtransaction being cosmetic only and whether or not this is acceptable to you.
