Do Devil May Cry 5's "Pay to Progress" Microtransactions Cross The Line?

Honestly wasn't planning on picking this game up but if I was this would make me think twice. I would definitely wait until a few days after launch and see what people are saying about the micro transactions before making my decision.

This doesn't bother me too much since it's a single player game. Also, these types of games hinge on the ability to learn new combos and moves to keep combat interesting so I'm doubtful that they will inflate the cost of upgrades to an unreasonable degree to encourage forking over your cash.

I'm currently working on a degree in video game art & there are a few things I've learned that help frame this better. The first is that Triple A games have Triple A budgets, usually in the millions to tens of millions of dollars. Second, while the game cost $60, the Devs only get about $4. Micro transactions & paid DLC are two of the approaches that have the lowest cost to the Dev & generate higher revenues. So there is more of an incentive to use micro transactions to earn your cost back faster & generate a profit. So while most players aren't fans, it does help keep the studio's lights on.

For me, this is simple. Non-cosmetic, non-DLC content = no sale. Just trust me is a terrible excuse and while I might trust a certain dev, there are many hands in the pot that make these decisions. The precedent it sets is how we ended up with things like FIFA Ultimate Team mode. Just because that is a game for Chads and not me doesn't make it any less predatory. You always pick off the weak first.

As a long time DMC player I must note, even though personally being against any kind of microtransactions in games, that you can purchase moves with red orbs, not the knowledge to not suck at the game.

All the uproar is from people who are unfamiliar with the series and it’s mechanics. You can unlock everything within a few days if you play the game. Less if you hardcore grind orbs.

Imagine this not as a way to skip playing the game, but to skip the chore of grinding up gear and unlocking it over time. In that case, you are basically getting to play New Game +, but with the great feeling of playing it the first time. Basically a Deluxe edition of the game, but you can choose the exact extent to which you invest more. No harm done in my book.

I've got lots of kids and a busy job. In a single-player game where you can skip some of the monotonous parts and just experience all of the game content as fast as possible, that is honestly fine. Otherwise I might not even bother to play the game at all because I wouldn't have time to grind and unlock all of that content.