I really enjoy Battleborn, but it’s not doing well. Overshadowed and misunderstood, its popularity is off the low end of most charts. The addition of premium currency to purchase special taunts and skins is exactly not the shot in the arm the game needs.
I have a hard enough time trying to convince people that the game is worth playing without the option to spend $US1.99 ($3) to $US49.99 ($68) per pack on Platinum, the in-game currency used to purchase special not-just-colour-swap skins for all 26 heroes and a selection of premium taunts.
“But Overwatch lets you purchase currency and buy skins and taunts!” I will say. “But Overwatch lets you earn the currency by playing as well. Besides, you said to stop comparing Battleborn to Overwatch in the review.” Damn, they have got me there.
As the post on the Battleborn website lays out, players were warned this was coming. I imagine most of those players have wandered off to do something else by now. They were warned, though.
Anyway, skins will cost 420 Platinum, while taunts run 230. A Platinum Pack of 230 runs $US1.99 ($3), so for a skin you’ll need either two of those or the $US4.99 ($7) pack of 700, priced as to make it completely stupid to just spend $US1.99 ($3).
Gearbox is currently looking into new, non-game-affecting items to sell for cash, from experience boosters to bank spaces and additional loadouts.
It really is depressing, liking a game that seems to be going nowhere fast, and then having to share news I know is going to make a segment of the population significantly less likely to play.
Comments
26 responses to “Battleborn Adds Microtransactions This Week, Because That Will Help”
Have they added Australian servers yet?
I didn’t realise there weren’t any. Haven’t had any lag issues at all, admittedly I only play PvE.
I just want the ability to repair nodes. The Experiment in particular, I’m looking at you.
People who ‘mastermind’ that kind of currency pack bullshit are assholes. Pure and simple. Fuck you right back, monetization consultant.
My greatest regret is that I have but one upvote to give.
i was | | close to creating another account to upvote twice.
my upvotes isnt registering…. am i noob, or does kotaku have a micro transaction to upvote.
There’s some kind of hidden rep system. I’m unable to vote in giz and lh articles because of it, nfi why.
ahhh see you didn’t pre-order the Kotaku legacy edition which means you can’t do it with vanilla Kotaku. So as a late adopter you can purchase the Kotaku DLC pack which is pretty expensive, but that’s justified because as a late adopter you probably paid less for Kotaku anyway. My suggestion would be to wait until the Kotaku of the year edition is released where you will get all pre-order bonuses plus DLC for slightly less than the day 1 edition was at release.
Or you know…you could just mash that mouse until the Green arrow says you win 😀
Im smashing my mouse on the screen… Nothing is happening
but seriously, if you hold the button down on the up arrow, then let go, click quickly, hang your tongue of the left side of your mouth, scroll down slightly then click the button again, scroll back up, hold mouse button down for a long time again then click quickly 3 times it will work. Guaranteed*.
*Guarantee may or may not mean the same thing that you probably expect it to.
Tried that.. Also tried turning my monitor upside down and trying to trick the site to think im downvoting..
No dice.. I guess ill wait for the steam sale version of kotaku.com.au
“We’re sorry to hear that you are experiencing these difficulties and have forwarded the details onto our support team. As compensation we have added 36.72 Kotakurrency into your web browser. For instructions on how to redeem this, we have sent an email to your listed address.”
Sometimes when I upvote (especially on mobile) it doesn’t register until I actually refresh the page or navigate elsewhere.
tried it on mobile and 2 browsers.. ah well.. lol
What was the golden rule last generation?
Xbox/Playstation required games to have a DLC program at certain intervals post-release. Didn’t matter what the content was, but as long as it dropped at 30, 60, and 90 day points after a game’s launch, then that was the bare minimum time you could reasonably expect a title to thrive.
I’m a bit foggy on the details, and yeah things are heaps different now, but this games seems out of its place and time.
Something more like an online tournament with $1-2k prize fund for winners would be more likely to attract players and net more cash….adding monetization options? Just a cash grab, not going to get more players into a dying/dead game.
Oh, platinum again.
Really?
Can someone start using ‘Space Bucks’ (TM)?
From Warframe to Destiny and on to…[insert name of next game].
Well, I am sure this will arrive on PS+ soon, with Gearbox hoping if they give it away we will spend money on waving hands and big skirts.
Well not now that you’ve trademarked it, they can’t 😛
Bwahhahaaha; doesnt seem smart; first a 40% off sale soon after launch now this; good luck everyone is playing overwatch!
This is a very confusing interchange and incorrect. Overwatch lets you buy loot boxes, not currency itself. It would be such a better system if they did because at the moment it’s hewing closer to gambling than microtransactions. The only way you can earn currency in game is if you happen to get something in a loot box you already own.
Yeah, my thoughts exactly. What Battleborn’s doing isn’t cool, but it’s not that different from what every other fucking game on the market is doing. What Overwatch is doing is fucking INEXCUSABLE. Either sell the content or don’t, don’t sell CHANCES TO WIN IT IF YOU’RE LUCKY!
Easiest way to save Battleborn. Reduce price to $15 to $20 USD, unlock all characters from start, keep the micro transactions in. Sell skins, taunts and bank space.
Anyone who bought the game at launch (or the $40 price) gets an exclusive champion (can be bought later) plus X amount Platinum.
Season pass buys get new champions 2 weeks earlier than everyone plus a fortnightly steam of Y platinum.
Easiest way to get your cash back Gearbox would be to undercut Overwatch massively. Make it an alternative FPS and sell the game on its strengths.
Overwatch proves that sometimes less really is more. On paper you would say that BB has the better value: more hero. more modes, story mode playable co op ad solo.
The problem is that BB just isn’t all that fun to play, unlike overwatch. I have 70+hours in overwatch since launch and don’t feel like I’ll be getting bored of it anytime soon, on the other hand I got to about 10 hours with BB and don’t really feel like playing that game ever again.
10 hours? i got bored after the second game in beta
I agree. After a single match of Battleborn (some go on for ages), I am pretty much ready to change games especially if it was a mediocre game. (Like a 20 minute match and I have 0 kills, 9 assists and 10 deaths) Most of them are like this as I am trying to play in Australia with no servers. With overwatch I’ll easily go a few dozen matches without getting bored or frustrated enough to just want to play something else. It just feels like more fun and my actions can actually turn the tide of a battle rsther then saving up for an ultimate and having it maybe take half an opponents hp or worse yet, an ally runs past and it’s wasted on them instead.
haha I feel bad but, Battleborn is pretty bad.
‘Loadout’ (R.I.P) had an internal currency named Spacebux.