We’ve all listened in on the conference call that we originally covered on November 24, 2019, where the question of multiplayer, and how those costs would be covered. CEO Adam Kiciński stated that they are looking into various options in regards to monetization, perhaps including ‘well-thought-out’ microtransactions. The article was spread around on the internet, resulting in Adam Kiciński making a direct statement that ‘microtransactions’ were never mentioned in the conference call. I received a bit of heat personally for the article but held my ground with what I had reported.
Today the ESRB has finally rated the anticipated Cyberpunk 2077, and lo and behold, there’s a microtransactions statement included in the ratings.
There’s a bit of confusion in regards to the rating CDPR has received from ESRB; more so considering CDPR’s bold statement after the article that they aren’t even considering the possibility of microtransactions.
Twinfinite was able to get a hold of CDPR and ask them directly about the rating boards statement, to which they replied that the descriptor ‘in-game purchases’ is now required for games that may receive expansions in the future. SO CD Projekt Red is remaining adamant that they have yet to confirm the existence of microtransactions within Cyberpunk 2077, but it’s still likely.
The official stance thus far is that Cyberpunk 2077 will release with no microtransactions included, as stated by CD Projekt Red. The future expansions to the title will, more than likely, host some form of additional monetization in the form of in-app purchases.
So while we won’t be getting the bizarre experience of Shadow of War which hosted a plethora of microtransactions in a single-player game, it doesn’t appear that we’ll be receiving the same consumer-friendly releases that The Witcher 3 enjoyed, where multiple add-ons were free and the DLCs were robust and comprehensive in scope and execution.
Still, it also doesn’t seem entirely fair to CD Projekt Red to lump them together with more of the infamously-minded developers and publishers that host in-game purchases at every turn. As CD Projekt Red has a fair track record of making purchase fair and economical, right now that’s all fans have to operate with. In a time and era where precisely what a developer promises continues to wear thinly on consumers, I personally find myself willing to err on the side of catastrophe, empirical industry data discarded for this one singular developer. Time will tell if fans are right to continue to place faith in CD Projekt Red, or if everything will come to a screeching halt in Cyberpunk 2077.