Lootboxes have become a white hot topic of discourse for the gaming industry at the moment, with most high profile games – such as Star Wars Battlefront 2, Destiny 2, Forza Motorsport 7, and Shadow of War – incorporating them in some form or the other.
However, one game that won’t have them that people thought will is going to be Assassin’s Creed Origins. Reports began circulating that the game will have lootboxes, which ended up adding fuel to the fire around the discussion surrounding microtransactions and lootboxes- however, Eurogamer is reporting that randomized loot boxes do appear in the game, they cannot be purchased with real world money. They are only purchasable by in game currency, and show up as an alternate way for players to get loot.
“He’s a very unique shop [vendor] in the world who sells Carbon Crystals, which are the rarest item needed for crafting,” Assassin’s Creed Origins game director Ashraf Ismail said. “You can find this stuff in the world, but the idea is if you have the money you can just buy stuff for him.
“Heda also sells a mystery box which can contain any weapon, piece of gear or item in the game. It’s a way for people who hoard lots of money.”
“The reason we did that was because we saw, even two years ago, people playing the game in different ways,” Ismail continued. “There are people who like to go into a military location, infiltrate them, steal the loot and equipment and hopefully find some unique or legendary gear.”
“Then there was a smaller set of people who would focus almost entirely on the economy, buying and selling stuff to gain as much money as they can. And we felt like, okay, that’s a valid way to play the game – it’s a part of the RPG [aspect], so we’ll let them play the economy. So, it’s one way to be able to purchase or get some of the unique items in the game.”
Ismail also confirmed that everything that you can buy from the game’s store – i.e. all the piecemeal microtransactions – can also be earned entirely in game.
All of this sounds good- Ismail is saying all the right things, which is good, because Assassin’s Creed Origins looks great, and I don’t want my excitement for it punctured. The game launches on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 27.