Developer CCP has confirmed that its forthcoming PlayStation 3 MMO FPS Dust 514 will be free to download and play.
The game, set in the Eve Online universe, was originally supposed to come with a $10-$20 “cover charge,” though these plans have now been shelved.
"It was a relatively confusing proposition, and we wanted to make it unambiguous that this is a free-to-play game," said executive producer Brandon Laurino, during a chat with Eurogamer.
"It’s very important as we take steps into this topic to unambiguously state that it is not a pay to win game. There is no micro-transaction that you can do that gives you an unfair advantage over someone who hasn’t paid anything.
"It’s the classic micro-transaction dynamic of, ‘I can pay and get this item,’ or, ‘I can invest my time and get this item.’ But neither of those options will give me an unfair advantage over the other,” he added.
In terms of microtransaction items, Laurino revealed CCP has nearly 1,000 goods on offer, ranging from items to customise appearances to weapon variants. Credit packs for Dust 514 will be made available in $1, $2, $10, $20, $50 and $100 variants, with individual items retailing for as low as “a penny sort of value.”
Finally, he also touched on the game’s PlayStation Vita “companion app.”
"At the most basic level, you can do transactions on the market; equip and customise your character, your vehicles; set up strategies with your friends and Corporation members – all of these sort of companion functions on the go," he said.
"We’re also exploring all of the super fun exciting stuff – interesting gameplay opportunities and things like that. But we’re not ready to talk about that."
Dust 514 is due out in summer 2012.