Outriders is looking to make a big splash this year, bringing guns, superpowers, and feisty co-op third-person shooting to consoles and PC. One thing that the studio People Can Fly won’t be bringing, however, is lootboxes, or any games-as-a-service pay-to-win nonsense. The looter shooter genre—and, to be frank, modern games in general—can often fall victim to publishers scouting out premium-paying “whales,” a practice which often negatively affects the overall quality of these games.
The brand new IP from the developers of 2011’s cult-classic FPS Bulletstorm (which was actually ported to the Nintendo Switch last year), Outriders is People Can Fly’s buzz-worthy return to the scene. With a dark, intricate sci-fi world, supernatural powers, 1-to-3-player co-op play, and a strong focus on narrative, the game does seem to share at least some DNA with many others before it. There’s The Division’s weapon modifications and third-person combat basics, Borderlands’ party-based online co-op approach, Mass Effect’s rich RPG universe and cinematic eye, among other apparent touchstones.
One thing Outriders won’t share with Mass Effect: Andromeda, though, is any gatcha-styled lootbox shenanigans. With the mounting costs of game development and triple-A publishers desperate for profit, these elements have managed to worm their way into an increasing number of titles, much to the dismay (and loud retaliation) of countless gamers. At the preview event for the game, People Can Fly CEO Sebastian Wojciechowski was very clear in stating: “No lootboxes, No pay-to-win. We are NOT games-as-a-service!”
Unpacking the statement itself may require some nuance. Information about any potential microtransactions in Outriders remains silent at this stage, though it’s worth noting that the game is built as a peer-to-peer experience. That separates it from games like Anthem or Fallout 76, both of which use dedicated servers, and brings it more in line with Borderlands’ P2P framework. Borderlands itself did include microtransactions—yes, emerging after some confusing comments made by Randy Pitchford—although they ended up being purely cosmetic. Contrast that with, say, the upcoming sequel DOOM Eternal, which is outright doing away with any in-game online store or microtransactions at all.
The term “games-as-a-service” remains something of a profane utterance to many gamers, specifically for how it compromises the notion of purchasing an interactive experience and receiving it in its entirety. While further details on the game are forthcoming, Screen Rant will be interviewing some of the fine folks at People Can Fly, and we can hopefully fill out a more detailed picture of what microtransactions—if any—players can expect to see post-launch.
More: Animal Crossing In-Game Purchases Might Not Be Microtransactions
For now, Outriders is preparing for a holiday release, when it is expected to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and next-gen consoles.
