Speaking during an interview with GameSpot, DICE confirmed that the highly anticipated Star Wars Battlefront will not incorporate a microtransaction system.
While players are given the chance to purchase various items in the upcoming science-fiction shooter, they’re obtained by earning credits in-game, not by parting with your hard-earned cash.
"The credits that you use to buy things in the game are earned. You play the game, complete challenges, and that’s how you get credits," commented Niklas Fegraeus, Designer Director for Star Wars Battlefront. He added that paying for additional content is "not part of the core design of how it works. This is a progression system based on your gameplay performance."
Star Wars Battlefront will kick off its beta test on October 8 and can be downloaded via the PlayStation Store with no registration required. The client itself will weigh in at around 7GB, and you won’t need to be a subscriber to PlayStation Plus to enjoy the multiplayer teaser. Players will be able to side with either the Rebels or the Empire, with each faction given access to a variety of weapons and vehicles to pilot, including the iconic X-Wing from the Star Wars films. More information on the beta can be found in our previous news story.
Published by Electronic Arts, Star Wars Battlefront is scheduled for a November 17 release in the U.S. and November 20 in Europe for PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One. Unsurprisingly, the game’s launch is in close proximity to the release of the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, which opens in cinemas in December 2015. Battlefront is powered by the Frostbite 3.0 engine, and is positioned as a reboot of the celebrated franchise following an unsuccessful attempt to develop Star Wars Battlefront 3 during the previous console generation.
Star Wars Battlefront is a multiplayer-focused title and as such will not implement a single-player campaign, with players able to compete in massive online battles for up to 40 participants. Battlefront will allow gamers to switch between a first and third-person perspective as they see fit, as you wage war as either a Rebel or Imperial Stormtrooper across several iconic Star Wars locations including Hoth, Endor, Tatooine and Jakku. In addition, DICE is also giving players the chance to step into the legendary boots of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker as one of the game’s ‘hero’ units, with appearances from R2-D2 and C-3PO also confirmed as NPCs.
Be sure to check out the latest screenshots of Star Wars Battlefront to see how the game is shaping up, and have a butcher’s at the latest footage from the PC release while you’re at it. EA is also prepping a rather swanky PS4 hardware bundle featuring a striking Darth Vader paintjob.