Loot boxes have reportedly been added to the latest playtest build of EA’s coming Skate reboot, and appear to be tied to in-game currency.
Developer Full Circle announced last year that the game would be a free-to-play live service project, and assured fans that its monetisation would be “mostly about cosmetics and convenience,’ with paid loot boxes not part of the equation. However, data miners later unearthed rumblings of Swag Bags, which are purchasable with ‘Taps’ featuring randomised apparel.
Leaker Tom Henderson has now revealed via playtesters that Skate’s current use of loot boxes are tied to in-game currency, and are known as Stars. These can only be earned by completing in-game challenges and are used to buy and unlock loot boxes.
These loot boxes feature reward players with one of five different items that can be seen ahead of you purchasing them, and include skateboard stickers, clothing, and house furniture. If you get a duplicate item, you’ll receive a second in-game currency by the name of Hype.
As for Taps, which is currently not featured in the playtest, it is believed this currency will be used to unlock additional Stars, and Henderson speculates that it will “eventually be made purchasable with real-world money.”
[Source – Insider Gaming via Eurogamer]