Devil May Cry 5's appearance at the Tokyo Game Show last week was meant to be one of the game's shining moments. Unfortunately, it seemed to find itself caught in one controversy after the next, with sexual harassment allegations levied at the singer of Dante's new theme song, and some fans unhappy that it will apparently include a multiplayer or co-op component. However, perhaps the biggest controversy surrounding the hack and slash action game after its Tokyo Game Show appearance is the fact that it will include microtransactions.

The use of microtransactions in Devil May Cry 5 has been met with a mixed reception from fans. While some are worried about how the microtransactions may affect gameplay, others have pointed out that the microtransactions are optional and everything they unlock can be earned in-game. Defenders of Devil May Cry 5's microtransactions have also pointed out that this isn't the first time a game in the series has used them, as Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition included microtransactions as well.

Even though microtransactions were included in Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition with little consequence, their inclusion in Devil May Cry 5 is more worrisome for some fans, and for good reason. Devil May Cry 4 was originally developed without microtransactions in mind, with the Special Edition adding them as an option. Devil May Cry 5, meanwhile, is being built from the ground-up to include microtransactions, meaning there is a much greater chance that they will have some influence on the game's progression system and gameplay.

There is evidence for the grind in a game to be directly influenced by whether or not that game includes microtransactions. The most notorious example is likely Star Wars Battlefront 2, which had to undergo significant balancing changes after the microtransactions were removed. Since Capcom would want players to buy the microtransactions instead of ignoring them, just like DICE and EA, there is a distinct possibility that Devil May Cry 5 was developed with that goal in mind, and so it's not a stretch of the imagination for some to think it may be extra grindy or tedious to unlock new moves compared to past games in the series.

Capcom has said that the microtransactions in Devil May Cry 5 are merely optional for players who want to unlock everything right away. It's possible that Capcom is telling the truth and microtransactions won't have any significant impact on Devil May Cry 5's gameplay, but we will have to wait for the game's launch next year to find out for sure.

Devil May Cry 5 will launch on March 8, 2019 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.