EA adding microtransactions to Battlefield 5 in 2019

Despite the controversy surrounding microtransactions in gaming, with many gamers even cited as reasons games fail or lose players, EA is planning to add them to Battlefield 5 in 2019.

Battlefield 5 launched earlier this year to mixed reviews. The game was praised for what it had at release, but every review contained one form or another of the caveat that it would be brilliant once the rest of the content released. A battle royale mode, as well as other game modes and maps, have been promised for future release, leaving Battlefield 5 feeling unfinished.

Amazon have a listing for in-game Battlefield Currency, which is available to pre-order now, with a release date of January 18, 2019. The price ranges from around $5 for 500 in-game currency, up to $50 for 6,000 in-game currency.

EA say that they didn’t want Battlefield 5 to launch with this currency because they wanted to give players a chance to experience the core game. As part of this they can earn Company Coin, but now EA want to include a premium currency. The new currency isn’t used to buy anything that provides an advantage, instead it can only be used to purchase cosmetic items. Company Currency will still be available alongside this new currency, earned through daily missions and other activities.

While this new currency launched just next month, a couple of months after that the new battle royale mode will launch too. Firestorm brings a new dynamic to the Battlefield franchise, and may even offer a new take on the mode.

It seems as though EA is hoping that the new battle royale mode will entice players into playing Battlefield 5. Should they offer a similar premium pass deal to Fortnite’s Battle Pass, they may see an uptake in their new premium currency. However, this new premium currency could also be the game’s downfall.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 was highly criticized for its use of microtransactions, though in its case players could buy their way into being better than others in the game. So long as Battlefield 5 stays out of this territory it shouldn’t suffer the same fate.