Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds Won’t Have Microtransactions

Obsidian Entertainment announced The Outer Worlds at the Game Awards 2018. It’s a first-person sci-fi RPG, and the message in the trailer simply says “Welcome to the future. Try not to break it.”

The Outer World’s director, Tim Cain, told GameStar that they will remove modern gaming features, like microtransactions and multiplayer modes. This means that Obsidian will travel back to the golden days of releasing a full game without needing to purchase loot caches.

Concerns about microtransactions arose due to the game’s publishers, Take-Two Interactive, which currently makes millions in revenue from microtransactions.

Live service games, multiplayer games and in-game transactions dominate today’s gaming landscape. Microtransactions generate considerable amounts of income, so its refreshing, but surprising when a developer won’t include them. Especially as cyber weekend digital sales increase annually, largely due to microtransactions.

Therefore, Obsidian’s new sci-fi RPG is singleplayer-only, story-driven experience, built from the ground up, without online multiplayer. So, the game won’t be monetized with microtransactions, lootboxes, and skins.

However, the game is being developed by the creative directors behind Fallout: New Vegas, which achieved a cult status amongst Fallout fans. It’s viewed as one of the best in the series, delivering a sensational, story-driven, first-player gaming experience. In contrast, Bethesda’s Fallout 76 failed to deliver a similar experience, receiving criticism from players.

At this point in time, its unknown if Obsidian will develop post-release DLCs for The Outer Worlds. Fallout: New Vegas benefited from 6 add-ons: Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, Lonesome Road, Courier’s Stash and Gun Runners Arsenal. All the add-ons were incredibly popular, enhancing player’s fun and exploration in the Mojave Wasteland.

Single-player, story driven games are hugely successful this year, God of War won the Game of the Year, as well as other titles, like Spiderman and Red Dead receiving multiple awards too. So, if Obsidian can deliver on their promises, The Outer Worlds could be a breath of fresh air, and a sci-fi equivalent to Fallout: New Vegas, many have been waiting for.

The Outer Worlds is set for release in 2019 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.