Ghost Recon Breakpoint goes live on October 4, but it's playable now for people who preordered the Gold, Ultimate or Wolves Collector’s Editions. Through that early access period, courtesy of redditor Blinkk8704, it came to light that there are an awful lot of microtransactions available for purchase through the in-game store. Most of the stuff up for grabs is cosmetic and accessible through gameplay, but there are also "Time Savers," including bundles of skill points, crafting materials, and weapon upgrades, that have a direct impact on gameplay.
It doesn't seem to be all that terribly different from Ghost Recon Wildlands, which also offers boosters, supplies, and skill points for sale. Nonetheless, their presence did not go over well with quite a few commenters in the thread, many of whom expressed, very strongly, their opinion that microtransactions—particularly the boosters and skill point bundles—don't belong in a premium-priced game.
Ubisoft addressed the complaints in a message posted to the Breakpoint forums earlier today. "With Ghost Recon Breakpoint, we always aimed at offering a fair and rewarding experience to our players however they want to experience our game, in solo, co-op, PvE or PvP," community manager UbiBorghal wrote.
"From the beginning, two key factors stood out as extremely important for the team: That Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint doesn’t include any pay-to-win elements, [and] to make sure that players not choosing to engage with in-game purchases do not see their experience affected. Players will be able to unlock skills and get access to plenty of varied loot and items by simply playing the game."
The "Time Savers" that were available for purchase in the Breakpoint store are a slightly different matter, however. UbiBorghal explained that weren't actually supposed to be there, and they have since removed, although they'll be back at some point down the road.
"These items were designed as an optional way for players arriving later to the game (Post-Launch) to catch up with those who have been playing for longer and enjoy our co-op and challenging end-game experiences. These Time-Savers have since been removed from our Store for now," they said.
"Time Savers were not designed to grant any advantage over players choosing not to use them. Additionally, Ghost War PvP has been carefully balanced to ensure that no matter your experience as a player, no one has a critical advantage based on their progression."
There's no indication of when the Time Savers will be returned to the store, but UbiBorghal said that Ubisoft "will be monitoring the game's economy and balancing carefully," and that Ghost Recon Breakpoint will continue to "grow over time as we listen to our players' feedback."
