Dragon’s Dogma 2 Breaks Capcom Steam Records Amid Microtransactions Furore
Dragon’s Dogma 2 has enjoyed a huge day-one on PC, but it has also sparked a vociferous debate about microtransactions.
The fantasy action adventure game has 21 separate microtransactions available day-one, ranging in price from $0.99 to $4.99. Offerings include an Explorer’s Camping Kit for $2.99, a gaol key that lets you escape from gaol for $0.99, a Portcrystal warp location marker for $2.99, and Wakestones that restore the dead to life for $0.99 each.
These microtransactions have sparked a controversy not just for the sheer number available day-one, but because they make parts of the game deliberately designed to challenge players in certain ways either easier, less frustrating, or quicker. Players have already pointed out that these microtransactions help with fast-travel, which in Dragon's Dogma 2 is restricted. Players require expensive and rare Ferrystones to teleport to designated Portcrystals. A Portcrystal, which costs $2.99 as a microtransaction, can be set at a destination of your choice. You then use a Ferrystone to instantly transport your party to the Portcrystal's location. (For more, here's How Fast Travel Works and How to Get Ferrystones.)
Ahead of the game’s release, director Hideaki Itsuno told IGN why the development team wanted players to travel normally and experience the world around them. “Just give it a try. Travel is boring? That's not true. It's only an issue because your game is boring. All you have to do is make travel fun,” Itsuno said.
“That's why you place things in the right location for players to discover, or come up with enemy appearance methods that create different experiences each time, or force players into blind situations where they don't know whether it's safe or not ten meters in front of them.”
“We've put a lot of work into designing a game where you can stumble across someone and something will happen, so while it's fine if it does have fast travel, we decided to design the map in a way that the journey [itself] could be
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