Ever since gamers got their first glimpse of Back 4 Blood at last year's The Game Awards, developer Turtle Rock Studios has stayed consistent in revealing the type of game it wants Back 4 Blood to be. The game takes heavy inspiration from the Left For Dead series, while also introducing some new mechanics to enhance a multiplayer co-op experience. Turtle Rock Studios has indicated that Back 4 Blood will have cosmetic-only microtransactions, but they want to reassure gamers that the plan is to also have ongoing going content for the game.
As a multiplayer shooter designed around fighting hordes of zombie mutants over and over, Back 4 Blood definitely begs for ongoing content to keep things fresh. Turtle Rock Studios had plenty of continuing content in its last big title, Evolve, although gamers did become frustrated with new monsters and hunters in Evolve locked behind paywall Season Passes or individual purchases. But with limited microtransactions in Back 4 Blood, Turtle Rock Studios could develop a better system for keeping players interested without emptying their pockets.
In the upcoming April issue of PC Gamer UK Magazine, Turtle Rock Studios Co-Founder and Design Director Chris Ashton shares some of the ideas for ongoing content in the game. Back 4 Blood gameplay will see different zombie exterminators (Cleaners) going up against several types of zombies, and there are options for introducing more contributors to each side of the fight as the game progresses.
Back 4 Blood also makes use of cards that players can use to modify their characters for zombie runs. While Turtle Rock is still deciding exactly what ongoing elements to push, there could be more cards introduced to the game as regular updates. New weapons are also a possibility, but these weapons would not be enhanced versions of existing ones that require players to pay to get them. Weapons might feature slight changes to design or function but won't be the primary pathway for ongoing content in Back 4 Blood.
Ongoing content will be a draw for many to Back 4 Blood, as some of the most popular games on the market now have achieved success in part due to consistent update schedules and free content. While each developer navigates ongoing content differently, Turtle Rock Studios has plenty of options when deciding what to emphasize with Back 4 Blood updates.
This will also be dependent on how gamers react to certain aspects of the game, like creating cooperative strategies to deal with certain types of zombies or learning how to predict Back 4 Blood's Director feature. Gamers know what they like in live service elements, and Turtle Rock Studios needs to listen, experiment, and find the ongoing content sweet spot to keep Back 4 Blood from sharing Evolve's issues.
Back 4 Blood is set to release June 22 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Sirus Gaming