Halo: The Master Chief Collection To Add The Worst Element In Gaming
Oh no, not again.
Grim days are upon us; Halo: The Master Chief Collection may be getting microtransactions nearly a decade after its release, prompting numerous pre-internet generations of gamers to wonder: Is anything sacred to the gaming companies? Well, from what we managed to gather, the news isn’t so grim, and if the Collection’s developers stay true to their word, the presence of microtransactions won’t be noticeable in the games.
According to IGN, 343 Industries recently revealed that the company is exploring the possibility of adding microtransactions to Halo: The Master Chief Collection, thus allowing gamers to purchase Spartan Points — which would allow them to unlock (buy) gear and customizations that they might’ve missed in previous seasons. However, these microtransactions only relate to seasonal items that are no longer available to obtain by regular means, at least for the time being.
The items in Halo: Master Chief Collection are currently unlocked with Season Points, and 343 Industries has stated that the company intends to keep seasonal items unlockable through gameplay. This means that players can still earn Spartan Points by completing challenges and leveling up through regular play. The addition of microtransactions or making the in-game currency purchasable with real-life currency would be an alternative method of unlocking in-game items.
This method would be reserved for players who want to skip the grind or perhaps purchase a specific item in Halo: The Master Chief Collection that is no longer unlockable with regular play. So, it would seem that purchasing Spartan Points is really a matter of choice and not a requirement, which admittedly makes the situation a bit better. Sure, it would give some players a chance to catch up faster and current players to obtain items without grinding for them.
But the way these differ from usual transactions found in other games is that they won’t offer any unfair advantage to paying gamers in terms of progression. In other words, they won’t turn Halo: Master Chief Collection into a pay-to-win video game, at least for now. The sensitive and fragile hearts of gamers everywhere (we’re being sarcastic, obviously) couldn’t take having another one of their favorite titles turned into money-grabbing machinery by the giant gaming corporations.
The recently released Diablo Immortal is a perfect example of how microtransactions can ruin an otherwise great game. The fans of the Diablo franchise waited for half a decade for Blizzard to finally make a Diablo game for mobile devices, and the issue of microtransactions was brought up to the development team. Blizzard promised that microtransactions within the game wouldn’t affect players’ progression, similar to promises 343 is making with Halo: Master Chief Collection.
But of course, stretching the truth isn’t anything new to Blizzard, considering the company’s recent history, and microtransactions ended up affecting players’ progression in Diablo Immortal up to the point where players would need over $100,000 to play the end-game content correctly. Hopefully, the same won’t happen with Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Microtransactions alone aren’t the problem in themselves. But aggressive monetization tactics of various gaming companies are.
These methods of monetization aren’t fully regulated, and a vast number of companies are making their games pay-to-win, prompting players to pay real money to be able to progress. Another major issue is the loot boxes, which are now banned in several countries because they’ve been identified with gambling.
