Planetside 2 will be free-to-play. We’ve known this since forever. But it’s one thing for SOE to say as much, quite another for them to go about phasing money-making components into a game that’s been operating for free under the beta banner for months. One point of contention has emerged around weapons – purchasable for real money in the store but with no means to test them beforehand.
When Planetside 2officially launches on the 20th, most weapons will be available to buy at increments of 250, 500 and 700 in station cash, which works out at $2.50, $5 and $7 respectively. Right now you can get them in exchange for in-game cert points, but what you can’t do is try them out first.
When asked on Twitter whether SOE would be providing a ‘trial room’ to test weapons by the launch date, CEO John Smedley replied: “No. But we are considering letting people try weapons they pick up. Also remember you can buy with certs.
“Not saying we never will [have a trial room] but we have no plans right now to do this.”
In-game purchases are a delicate matter, and Smedley has often talked about following LoL developers Riot’s lead in that respect. But have SOE misstepped here? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.