Gearbox has confirmed that there will be microtransactions in Borderlands 3, although they won’t affect gameplay or be pay-to-win.
During the Borderlands 3 gameplay reveal, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford seemed to make a slight slip up when he stated that the game “won’t have any microtransactions”, although it appears that he was referring to players being able to purchase weapons and gear that would have had an impact on gameplay. So while those sort of microtransactions won’t be in the game, players will still be able to purchase non-gameplay altering items with their real money.
Gearbox’s creative director Paul Sage confirmed to Game Informer that the game does indeed have microtransactions, but that they are purely cosmetic.
“We’re selling cosmetic items, but we’re not going to nickel and dime players,” he told Game Informer. “DLC will come down the line, but the game won’t have anything excessive.”
The microtransactions in Borderlands 3 also won’t come in the form of loot boxes with Gearbox instead opting to allow gamers to purchase the item they want outright rather than having to take a gamble on getting their preferred item in a loot box.
Borderlands 3 releases worldwide on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on September 13th.