The new surrounding Doom Eternal just keeps getting better. Creative director Hugo Martin has revealed some surprising details about the cosmetics that were previously announced to be in the game. Doom Eternal’s cosmetic items will be unlocked through experience points and the game won’t have a store for micro-transactions at all, to put it simply.
Microtransactions and loot crates have become a scorned and hated part of the modern games industry. And with more and more gamers hating the blight they pose on AAA games, this is a step in the right direction. When asked about the role these things would play in Doom Eternal, Martin was very clear. “Eternal is a $60 game, not a free-to-play game or a mobile game—we are giving you a complete experience with no store just like you’d expect. Unlocking skins with XP is a part of the experience if you care about that stuff, or you can completely ignore it,” explained Martin. “It’s all free.”
(Image Credit: Dualshockers)
The gameplay within Doom Eternal is being heavily refined with a clearer difficulty system, so having a more direct translation of playing the game to unlock new items is great. Previous major releases within the video game industry have left much to be desired in the areas of both clarity and not being “pay-to-win”. As more and more games force loot boxes on players, these same gamers are fed up.
EA DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront II was forced to later remove it’s horrendous loot box system after players hammered the game with negative feedback and caused a sales dip and PR nightmare. A similar story played out for WB Games and their Shadow of War loot box system which was later patched out.
Of course these same practices have been consistently defended by those making billions off of them. Electronic Arts infamously compared loot boxes to child toys and blind bags, calling them “surprise mechanics.” Gamers and those that care about predatory gambling practices were not amused.
Doom Eternal will launch for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on March 20, 2020. The shooter is also getting a Switch port a little while later. The game will feature a revamped flow and story as well. The developer is working to correct missteps made in the 2016 reboot. Most notably, Doom Eternal will have a much more intense but enjoyable feeling to play.
