14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer CCP has made it clear that the upcoming Dust 514 shooter will be free-to-play and that it is also working on a PlayStation Vita handheld companion application for the game, which will be launched during 2012.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Brandon Laurino, an executive producer working on Dust 514, stated, “It’s very important as we take steps into this topic to unambiguously state that it is not a pay to win game. There is no micro-transaction that you can do that gives you an unfair advantage over someone who hasn’t paid anything.
“It’s the classic micro-transaction dynamic of, ‘I can pay and get this item,’ or, ‘I can invest my time and get this item.’ But neither of those options will give me an unfair advantage over the other.”
Initial plans from CCP and Sony included an initial charge for the game, no subscription and micro-transaction options, but the two companies agreed that going full free-to-play meant that a bigger number of players will be engaged with the game.
When it comes to what the in-game store has to offer, the developers talked about vanity items, weapon versions and respects, with hundreds of options offered as the game develops.
The actual game maps will not be offered for sale and will be always available to all gamers, with Laurino saying, “We are covering literally a universe of planets, so there’s thousands of different maps and they’re all available to everyone who’s playing.
“There won’t be some section of the universe that’s blocked off. It’s really about what you build on those planets – some of those will be earned, some of those will be paid.”
The Vita app will initially allow Dust 514 gamers to play the market, work with their character and vehicles and talk to other players, but then it might also get some actual gameplay mechanics of its own.