Much like it did in Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition, Capcom will be implementing microtransactions for Red Orbs in Devil May Cry 5. This was confirmed by GameSpot during its time with the action hack and slash at Tokyo Game Show.
Essentially, when using a Divinity Statue – the de facto means of upgrading characters with Red Orbs earned in-game – players will have an option to spend real money on the same. Director Hideaki Itsuno noted that this was an option to allow more choice for players.
“With giving people the ability to purchase Red Orbs, it’s something we want to give people as an option,” he said. “If they want to save time and just want to get all the stuff at once, those people can do that.”
As many are aware, Red Orbs can be used to purchase new moves and abilities for characters. The pricing of said moves will depend on their difficulty though. “The first thing is the stuff that we feel people should want to get first is made cheaper. So people will think, ‘Oh, this is cheap so I’m just going to buy this.’
“But then for the stuff that’s going to be harder to use and master, we make that more expensive. Partly because of you save up for that you’re not going to be able to buy as many skills, so you’re going to have the time to learn it.”
While many may decry the implementation of microtransactions in a single-player game, Red Orbs can still be earned by playing normally. Furthermore, the abilities and moves unlocked are still very much dependent on player skill. We’ll see how this change affects the leaderboard rankings and overall flow of progression once Devil May Cry 5 actually launches.
Speaking of which, the game is out on March 8th, 2019 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Head here to see some gameplay for Dante along with appearances from Trish, Lady, and third playable character V.