Here's some news that's sure to polarize Assassin's Creed fans. It looks like Syndicate, the upcoming London set iteration of the popular action franchise, will have micro transactions when it releases later this fall.
The news comes straight from Ubisoft Quebec Development Director Francois Pelland. In a recent question and answer session with IGN, he outlined how the pricing scheme would work:
"Assassin's Creed Syndicate will include paid options to save time and accelerate progress," Pelland told IGN. "The model for Assassin's Creed Syndicate is quite similar to Black Flag, allowing players who do not have time to fully explore our huge game world to still be able to eventually acquire the game's most powerful gear as well as other items. Rest assured, all of AC Syndicate's content is available without paying anything additional and the game has been balanced such that microtransactions are 100% optional."
The company has been vocal about its desire to further monetize its games. Back in 2014, Ubisoft marketing executive Tom Key said he wanted to turn $60 customers into $200 ones through micro transaction models such as these.
These sorts of payment models are common in mobile and free-to-play games but a good portion of the fanbase is still sour over their continued inclusion in a $60 'AAA' title of Assassin's Creed's caliber.
Regardless, as stated by Pelland all of this is totally optional,so gamers who choose not to shell out additional cash will still get the full Syndicate experience.
The game is set to be released on October 23, 2015 on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One while PC gamers will have to wait until November 19 to get in on the action. The new title puts you in the shoes of Jacob and Evie Frye, a brother-sister dup trying to build their gang and take control of London. Syndicate however will not be coming to previous gen systems.
