In the ever-changing climate of DLC and post-launch support, Guerrilla has revealed the team’s upcoming RPG, Horizon Zero Dawn, won’t include microtransactions.
The confirmation comes from the developer’s official Twitter, responding to a question from a fan. Even though Horizon Zero Dawn releases late next month, there has so far been little discussion of downloadable content, let alone mention of a Season Pass. What few pieces of additional content we do know about all come in the special edition versions of the game or as pre-order bonuses.
When it comes to in-game DLC, the Digital Deluxe version includes two outfits, two weapons, the Banuk Traveller Pack, the Carja Trapper Pack, and the Nora Keeper Pack. Meanwhile the physical Collector’s Edition includes the same, in addition to a forth resource pack called the Nora Machine Trapper Pack. And finally, the pre-order bonuses add one more outfit and weapon to the mix. Despite what similar games have done, it seems resource packs will not be continuously offered following release.
Last year saw more than a few high profile games come under fire for their microtransactions, from Deus Ex: Mankind Divided allowing players to purchase both credits and skill points for use in the game’s main campaign, to Gears of War 4‘s Versus and Horde mode packs. Arguably a very similar game to Horizon Zero Dawn, Rise of the Tomb Raider did include microtransactions, but only for it’s separate co-op survival mode.
In an interesting turn, perhaps due to the general feelings about post-launch costs for games, Horizon is only the most recent upcoming title for which we have learned what the DLC will not include, before actually learning what it will. Earlier this month, BioWare announced Mass Effect: Andromeda will not feature a Season Pass. What the developer did not draw attention to, however, is that the game’s co-op multiplayer will almost certainly include microtransactions.
Most modern DLC centers around multiplayer and modes outside of the main story, both of which Guerrilla doesn’t seem too keen on. Though discussing a type of “social multiplayer” not long after first announcing the game back in 2015, the developer has since changed its tune. Comparing Horizon Zero Dawn to large single player titles like The Witcher III, “We want this to be the story of Aloy. Although a multiplayer mode is great and maybe we can think of something for the future, we want Horizon Zero Dawn’s story to be on Aloy and it’s going to be fantastic when you play it,” Executive Producer Mark Norris explained to IGN Latino America (via GamingBolt) early last year.
In the run up to launch, Guerrilla recently released a new trailer focusing on that very story. Along with giving gamer’s more information about Aloy, the trailer is also our first look at a variety of the game’s armor sets and human enemies. Gamespresso’s podcast, The Game Café, recently took a long, hard look at Season Passes and modern DLC. A PS4 exclusive, Horizon Zero Dawn hits stores February 28. If there is to be a Season Pass, we can expect an announcement in the next couple weeks.