Dying Light 2 microtransactions have generated a strong response from the zombie game’s player base, as recent DL2 Steam reviews criticize developer Techland and its new owner Tencent for changing the way that Dying Light 2 in-game items are purchased. In response, Techland offers potential solutions for player’s issues relating to microtransactions and the new ‘DL Points,’ explaining that it is attempting to “figure out this issue.” In the meantime, Dying Light 2’s Steam rating, based on recent reviews, drops to ‘mixed.’
Previously, Dying Light 2’s in-game items could be purchased directly using real money. This meant exiting the game, accessing the DL2 store via Steam or Epic, making a purchase, and then re-entering the game. Announcing the introduction of the new DL Points system in August, Techland explained it was “a straightforward way for you to buy bundles without the need to leave the game.” Players would now purchase DL Points, and then exchange DL Points for Dying Light 2 items within the game’s own menus.
The potential issues within this system are twofold. Firstly, the system potentially obscures how much players are spending on additional Dying Light 2 material – rather than a straightforward exchange of real money for an in-game item, purchasing a mediating currency makes it harder to track precisely how much actual money is being spent.
Secondly, the pricing of some in-game material can leave players with surplus DL Points. DL Points can be purchased in bundles of 500, 1,100, 2,300, 3,600, and 6,500. The cheapest items in the Dying Light 2 store however cost only 300 DL Points, meaning that players who purchase even the cheapest bundle, 500 DL Points, are left with 200 additional Points that cannot be spent – unless of course players top them up with any purchase of DL Points.
Since Thursday, September 7, when the new version of the in-game store went live, Dying Light 2 has received a number of negative reviews from players on Steam, many of which refer to the DL Points system. “I loved this game so much on launch,” one reviewer, posting on Thursday, September 7, explains. “But that changed. Techland has let us down. The biggest example is the damn microtransactions.”
“The game is fantastic,” another reviewer, writing on Monday, September 11, says. “The microtransactions they added ruined it.”
Techland offers a response, explaining that it is working on a “couple of solutions proposed by the community,” which may include offering individual in-game items for sale for smaller amounts of DL Points, thus allowing players to spend their leftover Points more easily.
“As always, we are gathering your feedback and hear your concerns,” Techland says. “As far as we understand, a big part of the frustration stems from the pricing of the bundles and the resulting leftover DL Points. To figure out this issue, we’ve already started working on a couple of solutions proposed by the community.
“For example, we’re reviewing the mechanics of adding an option to purchase individual items from the existing bundles. This way, if you have any spare DL Points, you could spend them on different bundles. Why not use Michonne’s Katana while cosplaying a chicken? Still, that will not happen overnight, as it’ll take the devs some time to rework the system.”
Techland also says that it will host a Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ with Dying Light 2 franchise director Tymon Smektala, and encourages players to post questions that can be answered by the Smektala directly.
“Meanwhile, as a reminder, there are several bundles in the store that can be bought for less than 500 DL Points that you can grab now – or you can wait until we implement the solution suggested above. We’ll keep on gathering feedback throughout the weekend and based on the amount of questions and concerns, we’ll decide the best time to have an AMA with @smektalaTM. We’ll let you know in advance, so you can post your questions on the usual channels to be answered by him directly.”
If you’re a big Dying Light 2 fan, you’ll want to try some of the other best horror games available on PC. Alternatively, jump into the best parkour games, from Assassin’s Creed to Mirror’s Edge.