Add Wolfenstein to the list of franchises that are being confusingly monetized. The upcoming Wolfenstein spin-off sequel, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, is now confirmed to feature microtransactions. Players will officially be able to purchase cosmetic customizations in Wolfenstein: Youngblood, a new direction for a franchise that has managed to succeed without them for so long. The "confusing" aspect is with regards to details about potential gameplay microtransactions, which now appear to be refuted by MachineGames.

Answering questions from Game Informer, during E3 2019, a MachineGames representative reportedly said that players will be able to purchase gameplay items with real money in Wolfenstein: Youngblood. The examples that were provided include weapon upgrades, a major facet of progression in previous Wolfenstein games, and weapon attachments. The official Wolfenstein Twitter account has since provided an update, refuting the claim and stating that players cannot purchase weapon upgrades and attachments with real money.

The confusion seems to have something to do with Wolfenstein: Youngblood's currencies, of which there are both in-game and real money forms. You know, the types of currencies intended to be confusing by design. Apparently, silver, the in-game currency, can be used to purchase weapon upgrades and weapon customizations. Gold, the real money currency, can be used to purchase cosmetics, including weapon and power suit skins. Perhaps the E3 representative didn't understand the difference.

MachineGames insinuates, but doesn't state clearly, that the gold currency can be turned into the silver currency. It probably can't be, because that would make the statement from the Twitter account false. But publishers have been known to change such decisions before, even going so far as to wait a week or two after launch to do so. That's the entire point of using such forms of currency instead of more intuitive and immersive gameplay designs for upgrades, historically.

Even without gameplay microtransactions in Wolfenstein: Youngblood, the introduction of microtransactions period is likely to be received poorly from fans of the franchise. That's never been what Wolfenstein has been about, which is understandable given the game's whole premise is heavily political and full of social commentary. Introducing cosmetic microtransactions so players can look fabulous while killing Nazis sounds like a divestiture from some of those traditional Wolfenstein themes.

That's not to say that the Wolfenstein brand can't change with the times, nor that it will be any more or less popular or successful as a result. Microtransactions catch up to all AAA franchises in time, it seems.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is scheduled to release on July 26, 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.

Source: Game Informer