Responding to the fan backlash, Greene said in his announcement, “While our intention was and still is to add the full feature to the game when we move into actual release, we do need to test it prior to launch and at Early Access so that it is stable and ready to be fully introduced to our community.” He also stressed that the microtransactions were “purely optional,” so players who aren’t interested in spending more money on the game don’t have to.
Players’ concerns were not entirely unwarranted. Since PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is still in early access, it is surprising to see it implementing a system that can earn the game more money even before its completion. Players may assume Battlegrounds already has plenty of considering how many players it has. Another side of the concern may be that microtransactions at this point will reduce the incentive to finish the game and get out of early access.
However, given the staggering popularity of Battlegrounds in spite of its early access state, the inclusion of microtransactions makes sense. As Greene says, it needs to be tested like anything else to ensure it works properly when the game leaves early access. And with the millions of fans already in the game, there are undoubtedly those who want to start customizing their character right now.
Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds is out now for PC in early access, with a release for PS4 and Xbox One expected in late 2017.
