14 DAY TRIAL // DC Universe Online has stealthily received a brand new feature, in the form of a virtual marketplace where players can buy special gear for their characters by paying real-world money through microtransactions.
DC Universe Online has been available since the beginning of the year, for both the PC and the PlayStation 3 platforms, offering players the chance to create their own heroes or villains, and let them loose on famous comic book cities like Metropolis, the home of Superman, or Gotham City, the home of Batman.
While the game was plagued with some serious problems, largely because of the hacker attacks that affected Sony both on the PS3 and PC, the game is now getting back on its feet and welcoming back players to its online action.
One major feature that is now part of this revived version of DC Universe Online is a virtual marketplace, spotted first by Massively, which allows players to pay real life money for items to use inside the game.
As of right now, three items are available for purchase, specifically the Proto Repair-Bots, which provide players the ability to fix their gear on the go, without going to a specific repair station. Vault Tickets are also available, which are sold either as single items or in stacks of five, and allow access to the Vault instance that offers special rewards to players.
Sony hasn't revealed anything official about this new marketplace for DC Universe Online, so it's unknown what it plans to do with the service and what role it will play in the future of the game.
Rumors are already hinting that Sony wants to turn DC Universe Online into a free-to-play title, basing its profits solely on microtransactions, just like other superhero titles are doing, including Champions Online or City of Heroes, but you should expect some official details later this week.