This week, Ubisoft debuted Far Cry 6's gameplay via a presentation, mixing in-game cinematics with short clips of in-game action. And while the Far Cry 6 reveal was well-received by fans of the franchise, those fans also saw something less exciting between the lines. In a popular post on Reddit, Far Cry fans commiserated over the franchise's modern monetization with a meme pointing out how Far Cry 6 is likely to offer microtransactions.
Far Cry's subreddit voted to the top a meme featuring Far Cry 6's Juan Cortez, an ally in the game that's presented as a guerilla experienced in revolution. In Far Cry 6's gameplay reveal, Cortez explains several "rules" for revolution to protagonist Dani Rojas. However, there are also some segues where Cortez gets a bit detailed in explaining Dani's in-game equipment. The meme mocks that, with text reading "Not enough ingredients to make that gun you want? Buy some Far Cry Coins [TM] to even the odds!"
To punctuate the idea behind the meme, the Reddit post even goes so far as being titled "The TRUE Villain of Far Cry 6..." The clear message being that Ubisoft's monetization of Far Cry games is becoming too intense, and that fans are able to see that monetization even in gameplay presentations that don't explicitly talk about them. It's unlikely that Ubisoft's intent was to make Far Cry fans think of microtransactions when introducing Far Cry 6's characters and features.
As for how the image and Far Cry 6's announcement are being associated with microtransactions, it has to do with the monetization of both Far Cry: New Dawn and Far Cry 5. More specifically, Ubisoft allowed players to purchase in-game coins for real money, which could then be spent on ammo, materials, and in-game items that would otherwise require the player to farm them. In this instance, Cortez talking about various weapons and backpacks had players thinking about how Ubisoft will let players skip crafting by paying real money.
Ubisoft has not officially announced how it will be monetizing Far Cry 6, but similar microtransactions to previous Far Cry games are expected among fans. The upvoted replies in the Reddit thread all agree that it's better to play the game than to spend money on microtransactions, but the gameplay loop requiring players to spend so much time farming materials and items to avoid paying money is frustrating.
It's unclear when more information about Far Cry 6 will be shared by Ubisoft. Further, it's unclear if the developer will share monetization plans prior to launch. Launch for Far Cry 6 isn't too far off, however, so news should be coming before too long.
Far Cry 6 releases October 7 on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.