Note: There was a vital error in translation from Polish to English; microtransactions were not mentioned for any aspect, although monetization strategy was.
A better translation of the text in question is as follows, from CD Projekt Red’s PDF transcript found at this link.
Adam Kiciński: When it comes to monetizing the Cyberpunk multiplayer – we now think it is far too early to reveal any details. The project is at an early stage of development, and we are constantly experimenting – after all, this is our first multiplayer game. We are exploring various possibilities and so far it is not the time for precise determination directions, although it can be safely said that we will not compromise our own policy “Contracts with players”. Monetization will be intelligent and we will ensure that – how always – we deliver valuable products in exchange for payment received.
Oh no.
CD Projekt Red is a beloved developer studio. In the past, they’ve shown that they offer fairly priced consumer-friendly content. The Witcher 3 comes to mind recently, with a staggering amount of content offered in their DLC’s, that were somehow on par with the main game in terms of content, lore, and execution. They’ve also refused invasive digital rights management software, also known a DRM.
This trust, this foundation of faith that has been built between CD Projekt Red and gamers internationally over a slow and painful period of the last decade or so, might crumble very soon. All because of the corporate-loved yet consumer-hated practice of adding microtransactions.
Thank you Munich!
See you soon, Hamburg! #SamuraiTour pic.twitter.com/ryOeLBrWrf— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) November 23, 2019
Microtransactions are typically placed in front of intentionally placed grinds that the player can either chose to suffer through, or buy his way out of. Gears 5 was recently in the news due to their player base suffering, on the back of a silly and obnoxiously priced microtransaction system. It’s no exaggeration to say that microtransactions simply existing within a game will result in most gamers opting not to play it, as Electronic Arts learned with their recently ill-fated Battlefront 2 that still has yet to hold a sizeable player base.
In a recent teleconference, CD Project Red’s CEO Adam Kiciński states that the multiplayer aspect has just begun the design stage, and they aren’t expecting it to be finished in time for release; it will be added to the title afterward. He also adds that they are currently planning on offering some form of monetization to the multiplayer aspect, which means microtransactions are likely; he assures skeptics that they will be ‘well thought out’.
It’s not microtransactions, everyone; it’s well thought out microtransactions. What a sigh of relief.
This is coming after CD Projekt Red vehemently stated that there will be no microtransactions found in their title. They’re either planning on people not recalling that or they’ve forgotten themselves, or perhaps they’re banking on banking enough that their broken words won’t matter in comparison to profit.
People are already upset on social media, with more a few gamers idly mentioning that they may cancel their pre-order based off of this news. CD Projekt Red was one of the few developers left that more savvy gamers found themselves safe with pre-ordering, as the company has stuck to their word through thick and thin, and as such has a fantastic rapport with gamers.
If you wish to sit through the financial teleconference yourself, you can do so here:
The time in question begins at the 24-minute mark, with a question about the increased cost of adding multiplayer that was originally unplanned. The CEO Adam Kiciński states that there are a couple of options in terms of monetization, along with well-thought-out microtransactions. Frankly, if we’re looking at fun and unique skins for a multiplayer mode that we weren’t even expecting, it’s generally a win; Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been tremendously profitable for Valve, offering little more than skins. There are absolutely ways that this can be successful; it’s simply disappointing to hear the CEO weighing the options of turning back on their word.
It’s also important to note that this was a financial teleconference, and he openly stated that the multiplayer aspect was at the beginning of design; CDPR could easily scrap the idea altogether, not add monetization (which sounds like it would upset financiers), or find a happy medium that makes everyone happy. Frankly, we don’t know exactly what will appear; only that microtransactions seem to be in-design for Cyberpunk 2077’s multiplayer aspect.
This may be the initial crack in the ice of the well-placed and respected trust between gamers and CD Projekt Red. It was nice while it lasted, wasn’t it?
