This week,Lawbreakersdeveloper Boss Key Productions announced its latest project, abattle royale game calledRadical Heights. Boss Key’s answer to the likes ofFortnite Battle RoyaleandPlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, the game is being pitched as a free-to-play BR title that serves up a bold, bright, and bicycle-based 80s-inspired look. The game’s tagline also includes the phrase “cash is king,” but some players have raised pay-to-win concerns, as they are worried Boss Key is taking its promotional messaging a little too seriously.
The pay-to-win concerns surroundingRadical Heightsemerged afterBoss Keydetailed the game’s founder’s packs. Founder’s packs are fairly customary for free to play games and allow committed fans to pay extra for some in-game bonuses. InRadical Heights' case, these bonuses initially included $10,000 of in-game cash, which can be spent on weapons, gadgets, and armor of different rarities. Players can also bank it to their account for use in other matches.
But many were concerned that this bonus would give players too much of a leg up over their opponents. Boss Key addressed this, removing the flat $10,000 bonus to offer a 10% bonus to the cash that players bank at the end of the match instead. However, this too raised pay-to-win concerns amongRadical Heightsfans, leading Boss Key to remove that, saying, “We don’t want anything that resembles pay-to-win in the game.” As a replacement, founder’s pack owners will get 1,250 RAD gems, which are used to purchase cosmetics.
Over the last six months, there has been a huge amount of controversy surrounding video game monetization and whether a multiplayer game is pay-to-win.Star Wars Battlefront 2’s loot boxesseemed to kick things off by including gameplay-affecting items in the game’s loot boxes, essentially giving those with more disposable income an unfair advantage. Despite removing the paid loot boxes following the backlash, the controversy had a significant, negative impact on sales of the game.
Although there is a steadily growing conversation about howcosmetic items can be pay-to-win, specifically regarding the battle royale gamePlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, many gamers have said that it is important to them that a game is not pay-to-win.Radical Heightsis an important game for Boss Key as it comes off of the failure of fast-paced shooterLawbreakersand arguably, the developer cannot afford to alienate anyone due to pay to win mechanics.
