Previously, Anthem developer BioWare detailed how the game's microtransactions would work by revealing an in-game premium currency Shards. It's worth highlighting that these Shards cannot be used to purchase anything that gives one player a distinct advantage over another or loot boxes, but instead, it will be used to purchase cosmetics like Javelin skins, materials, and emotes.
BioWare has thus far not gone too deep into the issue with Anthem, as many gamers are hesitant when the phrase microtransaction comes up and perhaps rightfully so. Microtransactions, when done incorrectly, can be predatory and turn a game into a pariah within its own community. That said, this doesn't appear to be the case, as the initial price for the purchase of Shards is much lower than other cosmetic-only microtransaction-filled games currently on the market.
The purchase of 500 Shards, for example, translates to $4.99 in real-word cash (though there are some discounts that can reduce this price). The most Shards a player can purchase appears to be 4,600 Shards of $39.99. For context, premium currency V-bucks in battle royale game Fortnite can be purchased in up to $100 dollar increments, and Destiny 2 Silver goes up to $50, making it seem less steep than a free-to-play game and slightly less than a comparable $60+ game.
While these prices seem to be on the better side of competitive, it is worth mentioning that the buying power of these Shards is something to be considered. As seen in the screen from the in-game Anthem shop below, prices range from 300-400 Shards for emotes and materials to 850 Shards for a full armor pack, with the rarity of the items perhaps having some influence over this pricing. This also likely means that players will have leftover Shards after many purchases, since they are bought in 500/1050 increments and the items cost 300/850.
Whether the pricing of the Shards or the in-game cosmetics becomes contentious remains to be seen, but it is nice to see that Anthem is sticking to the cosmetic-only approach. It's worth mentioning that this isn't going to make everyone happy, as many do not believe that microtransactions should not exist in a game with a $60 price tag. That said, the game is going to have free story-based DLC funded via these microtransactions, so time will tell if this microtransaction model is successful.
Anthem's full release is February 22, 2019, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Reddit [1], [2]