Obsidian’s upcoming RPG won’t feature microtransactions or loot boxes

Last week, Take-Two announced Private Division, a new label set to cater to indie titles on a much lower budget. The question on many people’s tongues was whether Private Division would push microtransactions as aggressively as its parent company, but according to Obsidian, they won’t be appearing in its upcoming RPG.

“We're extremely excited about our upcoming RPG, and we know you are too. We wish we could tell you all about it right now… but we're going to hold off until the time is right. What we did want to talk about was a question a lot of you have been raising: ‘Will this upcoming game feature any loot boxes or other microtransactions?' “The answer is simply: ‘no'. No microtransactions, of any kind, in our game,” explains Obsidian in a statement.

The same sentiment was echoed in a short video posted by Obsidian’s PR manager, asking Leonard Boyarsky and Tim Cain whether or not microtransactions or loot boxes would be appearing in the upcoming title. A resounding “nope” from both of them too.

And now, a message from Leonard Boyarsky and Tim Cain.https://t.co/xfb4CUl0Ov pic.twitter.com/VvajRMEDeO

— Obsidian (@Obsidian) December 15, 2017

“We also wanted to say a word about our partnership with Private Division, our publisher on this title. Far from ‘pushing' us to put anything – microtransactions or otherwise – into our game, Private Division has been incredibly supportive of our vision, our creative freedom, and the process by which we work to make RPGs. They have been fantastic partners, and we are extremely excited to work with them through release, to put what we know is going to be an amazing game into as many hands as possible,” continued Obsidian’s post.

It seems that Private Division is taking quite the hands-off approach and letting the creatives deliver the best possible product, rather than the more intrusive approach that bigger publishers often employ.

“As always, thank you so much for your support. We know we couldn't do what we do without our fans, and we want you to know that we put you guys first in every decision we make,” concludes Obsidian.

It isn't known if any other Private Division title will contain microtransactions or loot crates, but for now, this is a good sign that the new label won't be following in the same footsteps as Take-Two.

KitGuru Says: It’s always reassuring when the developers get most of the control. It means that the ideas won’t get bogged down by logistics and the need to maximise profits with questionable practices, but simply the gameplay and story itself. Are you looking forward to what Obsidian has in the making?

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