With Battlefield V being the first major game from DICE after last year’s Star Wars: Battlefront II upended the table on multiplayer FPS microtransactions, the studio has been cautious with both how they approach and how they discuss the revenue model with Battlefield V. Today, DICE and EA explained how it will work, and seem to at least be trying to avoid the pay-to-win reputation that dogged Battlefront II.
Battlefield V will have two currency options: Company coin and Battlefield currency. Company coin is earned in-game through daily missions, career rank progression, and live events. You use company coin to purchase new equipment, skins, and general gear, as well as new skill upgrades and cosmetics. The plainly named Battlefield currency, which is purchased with real money, can only be spent on cosmetics.
To put it simply, everything can be bought using in-game money, but you can shortcut your way to cosmetics by spending real money.
Moreover, Battlefield currency will not be available at launch, though cosmetics themselves will. The choice mirrors EA’s decision to turn off Battlefront II’s ability to buy virtual currency until a few months later, though DICE explains that they want players to have hands-on time with the game before allowing currency to be sold. It is possible that the studio plans to launch it alongside the now-delayed Battle Royale mode coming in March.
DICE used the post to reconfirm their commitment to making sure nothing purchasable within Battlefield V unbalances the game, an important note for players worried about a pay-to-win model rearing an ugly head over this year’s title.
Battlefield V releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on November 20.
I would rather they not have the virtual currency at all, honestly. While I am glad they are limiting it to cosmetics, the addition of live events makes me suspect some cosmetics are going to be time-limited to encourage just paying the money to get it. That said, maybe that’s still a better situation than random lootbox drops that also cost money.
