14 DAY TRIAL // Rockstar Games' publishing partner, Take-Two Interactive, has talked a bit about the microtransactions in the multiplayer mode of Grand Theft Auto 5, GTA Online, emphasizing that they're present to delight gamers, not to exploit them.
Grand Theft Auto 5 appeared last September and sparked quite a heated debate when it was revealed that its multiplayer mode offered in-game cash in exchange for real-life money, via microtransactions.
Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has talked a bit about this controversy and emphasized that the decision to add the special options was due to player satisfaction.
"Our primary goal is to delight consumers and create a great experience. As you know, GTA Online is a free to play experience and there [are] opportunities for recurrent consumer spending within the game, and no obligation of course," he said, via SeekingAlpha.
"And the reason that we offer an opportunity to spend money in the game is that’s coordinated with a great experience. We are not making decisions in order to extract value, we are making decisions to delight consumers. And that includes creating value."
Zelnick admits that there have been a few problems with in-game currency in GTA Online and also balancing problems, but things are going smoothly right now.
"Yes, we had some issues with the currency," he added. "Those issues have been addressed and we are not really focused on whether the catch-up or anything of this sort. You know as long as people keep loving GTA Online it’s going to be great for us."
Grand Theft Auto 5 is expected to hit at least one new platform in the near future, namely the PC, and it's unclear whether the GTA Online microtransactions will follow it.
Even so, the game has sold tens of millions of copies worldwide, so profit from the microtransactions wasn't exactly crucial to Rockstar or Take-Two.