Though some racing titles – and several non-racing games like Halo 5: Guardians, Overwatch, Injustice 2 and the upcoming Middle-Earth: Shadow of War – have offered some kind of micro-transaction in recent years, Polyphony Digital will buck the trend with Gran Turismo Sport. In an interview with Gemo Show Indo from the latest PlayStation Experience in Malaysia, creator Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed that Gran Turismo Sport would not have micro-transactions.

The change is interesting because, well, Gran Turismo 6 also had micro-transactions when it released on the PS3 many moons ago where players could acquire credits in-game for real money. Credits could be earned by playing the game and would allow for access to superior cars.

With Gran Turismo Sport releasing on October 17th for the PlayStation 4 following several delays, this is no doubt good news for the community. Whether that means paid DLC will be offered down the line or not remains to be seen especially since most games offer free content despite having micro-transactions.

Micro-transactions have always been a hot topic, from the days of buying small chunks of cosmetic DLC to pay-to-win options that give you a competitive advantage. Even the entire Loot Box phenomenon that’s sweeping most competitive first person shooters is a form of micro-transaction. But how bad is it? Have gamers gotten used to buying everything they want/need rather than unlocking it? Or are micro-transactions simply a peripheral investment alongside the base game?

GamingBolt spoke to deltaDNA CEO and co-founder Mark Robinson, whose company offers analysis of deep data and functions as a real-time player marketing platform. We asked Robinson if micro-transactions were good or bad, even in the absence of pay-to-win elements. Did he feel there to be any merit to them, whether it’s in the free to play sphere or in a fully commercial game?

Robinson said that, “The thing is, you’re always going to offend some players whatever you do, which is why player segments are so important to ensure that only those who are receptive to micro-transactions are exposed to them.

“In the commercial game space it’s the same. However, I think it all comes down to how reliant the developer is on the revenues from DLC. Where DLC revenues are vital, then I think micro-transactions force developers to create better player experiences, with more personalized targeting.”

There’s no denying that the aforementioned Loot Box system has offered some benefit in the form of free DLC, post-launch updates and whatnot. Much as Overwatch or Halo 5: Guardians could be faulted for popularizing this phenomenon, the content they offer as a result has been well-received. How other developers follow and expand upon this model in the coming days remains to be seen.

Clash of Clans developer Supercell reported this week that the game has now recorded over 100 million users per day. Considering the game is a mobile title, that’s an incredibly impressive feat, but one that isn’t quite as surprising considering what kinds of titles mobile gamers tend to spend their time on. As is the case with all of the mobile games that Supercell has put out, Clash of Clans is free to play. while some have claimed these games are actually pay to win, the fact that gamers don’t have to pay for the games ever is certainly something that has helped this title’s popularity.

Clash of Clans might be the most popular, but all four of the games that Supercell has developed for the mobile platform are plenty popular. Clash Royale, Clash of Clans, Hay Day, and Boom Beach are all similar in design but amazing. Clash Royale is the newest title in the Supercell stable having launched just a few weeks ago.

The 100 million users per day also isn’t much of a shock because the company announced it was earning about $654,000 per day from the game two years ago. The game is one of only a couple that’s ever been profitable enough to actually have a Super Bowl ad.

Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, the next iteration in the open world stealth series, will sport micro-transactions thus joining the ranks of games like Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Halo 5: Guardians and, well, last year’s Assassin’s Creed: Unity.

Ubisoft Quebec development director Francois Pelland did clarify to IGN though that, “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will include paid options to save time and accelerate progress. The model for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is quite similar to Black Flag, allowing players who do not have time to fully explore our huge game world to still be able to eventually acquire the game’s most powerful gear as well as other items.

“Rest assured, all of AC Syndicate’s content is available without paying anything additional and the game has been balanced such that microtransactions are 100% optional.”

It remains to be seen how well received this is. Unity was roundly criticized for its micro-transactions which could go as high as $100. Will Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate suffer the same fate? We’ll find out when it releases in the coming weeks.

A new 40 minute gameplay demo for Kojima Productions’ Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain has been released by Konami, which can be viewed below, but perhaps more importantly, the publisher has cleared up the function of micro-transactions in the upcoming open world action stealth title.

“While it is true that a few micro-transactions option do exist, the entire game has been carefully balanced to be fair and enjoyable with or without using these options. There’s no pay to win option. Rest assured that every single item, weapon, and mission in the game is available to all players without paying a single cent.

“However, due to the sheer scale of the game and the time required to explore it all, micro-transactions were added as a completely optional feature for players who might not be able to spend as much time with the game, nothing more, nothing less.”

That last statement causes us to believe that micro-transactions will enable players to quickly acquire equipment that could be attained through lots of exploration. Will that sit well with players? We’ll find out when Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain releases on September 1st for Xbox One, PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360,

After initial rumours, Capcom finally confirmed Dragon’s Dogma: Online, a free to play MMORPG with micro-transactions that will support 100 player lobbies.

The setting, world and story will be new but the gameplay will be similar to previous Dragon’s Dogma titles. Players can group up in 4 player parties (or have AI pawns with them) and there will be lobbies to chat and recruit other team members. Quick matching is supported and Capcom promises seasonal updates that will make the world 3 times as large as the original size.

Players will have extensive character creation and can choose classes like fighter, hunter, priest and more. There will also be events, much like raids, that can support up to 8 players. The gameplay will apparently be similar to Guild Wars and Phantasy Star Online in terms of MMO mechanics.

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Unity features micro-transactions and yes, you’ll be able to buy items and weapons with real money if you don’t want to play through the game. Though micro-transactions is a real dirty word in today’s business – just look at EA’s handling of the same in Dungeon Keeper – but senior producer Vincent Pontbriand promised to OXM that there wouldn’t be much more to the system than that.

“Companion apps, monetisation, other business models, digital only…We have to be reactive to these things, but not necessarily fundamentally change what we’re trying to do. It depends. If we think it fits the gameplay, or the brand itself, the core values, we’re willing to take those risks. If not, then not. We’re not going to make any compromises.”

So no, you probably won’t have to buy Assassin Gems in order to speed up the time between missions. Assassin’s Creed: Unity will be out in October – are you looking forward to it? Let us know in the comments.

The Sims Studio will be bringing out The Sims 4 in September but it’s already hiring for a new franchise. The developer featured a posting for a senior designer at Maxis for a “new, unannounced” IP. This will be the first new franchise at the studio since SimCity creator Will Wright’s departure from the company.

The job entails “creativity editors…extensive multiplayer gameplay mechanics, in-game economies, technology trees, HD, PC, and mobile and tablet companion application integration” along with “content creation tools and editors”.

Experience required includes working with “deeply social multiplayer games such as MMOs,” “crafting trees” and “character RPG-style leveling design and mathematical loot progression modeling.” It also seems that the game will be free to play and require an “understanding [of] other games in the creativity space, including LittleBigPlanet, Minecraft and its popular mods, Roblox, Disney Infinity, Project Spark, and other upcoming efforts.”

The game will apparently be monetized as well. Considering the problems EA has had with micro-transactions, it will be interesting to see how this pans out. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

Boss Key Productions’ BlueStreak may seem rather innocuous on the surface but it’s created by one of the most controversial – and successful – veterans in the gaming industry, Cliff Bleszinski. Of all the things to shock potential players though, the news that BlueStreak would be a free to play shooter was most intriguing. Would the game support something like, say, micro-transactions?

Bleszinski was asked as much in a recent Reddit AMA and responded that, “Free to Play is one of those genres that means something entirely different depending on the game. For every model that feels like Las Vegas methods (Zynga, Candy Crush) there’s folks who do it right, like League of Legends, or WarFrame.

“I’ve never shipped a Free to Play game before. That’s one of the MANY reasons why we’re going with Nexon, they can provide server structures and a global peek into gamers of all types and guide us into a game that’s more ‘Shut up and take my money’ as opposed to ‘shaking you down for your hard earned cash.’ So we’ll experiment, tweak, tune, and most importantly, build a positive community around the game as we develop it.”

Bleszinski is insistent in making sure that “anyone can just jump in and play your darned game” but wants to avoid a “pay to win scenario”.

“Since this game is a shooter I want that one player who likes the game and doesn’t feel like spending any money to be able to take down the trust fund kid that’s spent a ton of money to have All The Stuff.

“I want to make a skill based game whereas someone who is really, really good is seen as a player with nearly amazing abilities. Sure, once in a while the person who sucks might get lucky with a stray shot and take that person down, but I want to craft a game that has weapons and moves that are easy to learn but to really make them sing takes thousands of hours of play just like a professional athlete would. Anyone can toss a football, but Drew Brees can get it through the tire at X yards every time.”

Thoughts on the same? Let us know below.

Far be it from Activision to try and milk money from one of its key properties, but the publisher and developer Infinity Ward have announced a range of new customization items for Call of Duty: Ghosts. They range from six new personalization packs to three new character packs and two weapons.

The personalization packs this time around focus on putting camouflage on your weapons and retail for $1.99 each. They include the Abstract Personalization Pack, the Hydra Personalization Pack, the Skulls Personalization Pack, the Tattoo Personalization Pack, the Leopard Personalization Pack and the Nebula Personalization Pack. The character packs are even more lame with the Inferno, Bling and Blunt Force packs which are available for $1.99 each.

Finally, there are two new weapons you can pick up, which were previously included in the Onslaught and Devastation DLC packs. These are the Maverick, which is a hybrid sniper rifle/assault rifle and the SMG/assault rifle The Ripper. Each can be picked up for $3.99.