It looks like EA’s Deadspace 3 will be the next AAA title to feature microtransactions, Eurogamer reports.
Deadspace 3’s weapon crafting system will be integrated with an in-game store, allowing players to drop real-world cash on virtual items with which to build better weapons. The resources required to do so (scrap metal, weapon parts, etc.) can be found within the game both by the player and through the use of scavenger bots, but EA is also giving players the chance to level up their weapons more quickly—for a price.
“You can buy resources with real money, but scavenger bots can also give you the currency that you can use on the marketplace,” said Yara Khoury, the game’s associate producer. She then confirmed that players don’t have to spend real currency to unlock this sort of content.
Despite the ability to buy better weapons faster, Khoury assured players that they won’t be able to buy the biggest and best weapons right off the bat.
“There are a lot of weapon parts that are only available to buy later in the game,” she said.
Microtransactions are quickly becoming a bigger part of the gaming world. Beginning with social games and MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, in-game purchases have recently found their way into bigger titles like Assassin’s Creed III and EA’s own Mass Effect 3. The next Deadspace entry does, however, represent EA’s first stab at single-player-based microtransactions, a feature they’re sure to study closely when Dead Space 3 rolls out on February 5, 2013.