A leaked image showcasing Anthem microtransactions has caused a bit of an uproar in the last few days. The image reportedly shows two skins, two textures, a decal, and an emote. Especially surprising are the prices that are shown in the image. Take a look at the picture for yourself to see what everyone is talking about:
The variety of items is nothing special, but the prices for the Anthem microtransctions are causing a bit of an uproar as seen on the game’s subreddit. In the above image, we see two listed currencies: Coins and Shards. Coins are earned through normal gameplay and Shards are a premium currency. There hasn’t yet been any indication as to what Shards would cost in terms of dollars, but some are going for the obvious conversation rate of 1 Shard to $0.01. Assuming that is the conversion rate, these make for some pretty pricey extras in a full-priced title. The two skins would be going for $20 a pop, emotes for $12, textures for $8, and decals for $4.
Thankfully, the prices on these Anthem microtransactions are not final. One of the game’s developers popped into the Reddit discussion to comment on the matter:
“Hey there! One thing to keep in mind is these don’t represent final, stamped for all of eternity pricing. We are iterating on our economy design and balance almost daily, so you’re seeing a snapshot of one iteration. This is why we tend to not discuss things like pricing, because it’s one of those iterative things that’s sure to change frequently right up until the day you play the game.” – Chris Schmidt, Senior System Designer at BioWare for Anthem
There was also some confusion about the pricing of the Anthem microtransactions. Some people were under the impression that these items would cost both Shards and Coins, but Electronic Arts cleared things up in a statement to TweakTown:
“While there are indeed two currencies in the game (Coins and Shards), you can buy cosmetic items with either Coins or Shards. You don’t need to spend both. Each item has a Coin price and a Shard price, and you’ll only use one currency or the other to purchase them.” -Electronic Arts
Going by what the developers have said, it seems like the prices for Anthem microtransactions aren’t set in stone. Many Redditors have commented that pricing skins closer to $5 would be a much better idea for a premium game. Let’s hope that EA and BioWare listen to them.
