“We Don’t See a Place for Microtransactions in Single-Player Games,” CD Projekt RED Reiterates

Microtransactions have become an unavoidable reality in games in the modern context, especially with game development budgets continuing to balloon to ridiculous degrees, but even so, seeing in-game monetization in single-player experiences never quite sits right with the vast majority. We had a very recent example of that with Dragon’s Dogma 2, a game that, despite widespread acclaim, still drew plenty of backlash for its post-launch inclusion of microtransactions. Not all players in the industry see the value in such a strategy, however.

The Witcher and Cyberpunk developer CD Projekt RED has held the stance for years that microtransactions shouldn’t be included in any game that is designed as a single-player experience. During a recent Q&A with investors, about being asked about potential microtransactions in future CDPR games, CFO Piotr Nielubowicz once again reiterated that the developer doesn’t intend to include microtransactions in single-player titles, before adding that in-game monetization is something that the studio might still consider for multiplayer experience.

“We don’t see a place for microtransactions in the case of single-player games, but we do not rule out that we will use this solution in the future in the case of multiplayer projects,” he said.

Currently, CD Projekt RED has a number of titles in the works, including The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2, while it has also partnered with Fool’s Theory for a remake of the original The Witcher. All of those are, however, set to be single-player experiences, which means CDPR is unlikely to include microtransactions. That said, the same might not be the case with The Molasses Flood’s Witcher spinoff, which is confirmed to be a multiplayer title.