Capcom surprised fans of the recently released Resident Evil 4 remake over the weekend by adding a timed, score-focused Mercenaries mode as a piece of free DLC. But that DLC also comes with an addition that might seem out of place for the single-player title: microtransaction power-ups.
RE4 players can now purchase several “Resident Evil 4 Weapon Exclusive Upgrade Tickets” on Steam for a price of $2.99 for one or in bundles of up to $9.99 for five. In exchange for this payment, players can “access the exclusive upgrade of a weapon at any time, regardless of weapon level. Not only that, but once unlocked, the upgrade itself is free!”
These same weapon upgrade tickets can be earned without spending real money by using earned in-game currency or by fully improving a weapon’s stats through gameplay. However, with this new DLC, Capcom is apparently hoping many players will want to pay to avoid the grind and make it through the game’s challenges with the most powerful weapons available.
What do you sell?
These kinds of optional, paid upgrades that can be done without a hitch aren’t exactly new to the gaming world, especially online titles. In 2014, World of Warcraft began offering a $60 “Level 90 character boost” to players who wanted to spend hours slaying digital beasts for experience points. 2015, Payday 2-creator Starbreeze Studios added stat boosts to the tradable skins players received from paid loot box DLC. And GTA Online players using real money to buy fake money has been a big cash cow for publisher Take-Two for years.
That’s only 67 cents per level. ORDER NOW!
But even in single-player games, publishers have sometimes sold the “advantage” to let players avoid having to play the game to unlock the best digital loot. Capcom’s own Resident Evil village sells a “Survival Resources Pack” bundle of in-game items for 99 cents, and the resident evil 2 remake will have players pay an additional $4.99 to unlock all in-game rewards.
Nevertheless, the addition of these types of paid upgrades is in Resident Evil 4 makes us long for the days when “instant unlock” capabilities came as free cheat codes instead of paid DLC. Gamers of a certain age no doubt have fond memories of using a quick “idkfa” to gain power Demise or use sim city 2000‘s “infinite money” code to quickly build the metropolis of their dreams without first having to worry about raising a solid tax base.
When it comes to single-player games, these kinds of fun sandbox-style features should be considered a core part of the experience, not something the publisher monetizes through DLC. However, in today’s gaming world, if people are willing to pay to skip the most annoying, tedious parts of a game, publishers like Capcom will continue to give them the option to do so.
