Need for Speed PS4 Leaves Microtransactions in the Showroom

Need for Speed – the abruptly named PlayStation 4 racing reboot coming this year from Ghost Games – has run over the concept of microtransactions, squashing them and leaving them by the side of the ride. Ill conceived criminal terminology aside, the developer has stated that it wants to keep its upcoming release pure – and that means that it's doing away with paid DLC for the time being, too.

"We plan to release a series of free content updates for Need for Speed," the studio said as part of an FAQ on the franchise's official website. "We currently have no plans for any paid DLC." A cynic would argue that said plans could change, but that will probably depend on the popularity of the title in the first place. Sadly, from a pro-consumer announcement to an anti-consumer one, the company has reiterated that you'll need to be online to play the game.

"You will need a persistent Internet connection, as Need for Speed is committed to being a live service so that we can deliver an ongoing experience that is constantly changing and evolving," the studio said. The good news is that you won't need a PlayStation Plus subscription if you just want to enjoy the single player campaign, though much like Destiny it will be required for multiplayer modes. Should your Internet go down at any point, though, you'll be locked out of your game.

In other news, the title will run at 30 frames-per-second – a consequence of the company wanting to maximise the title's visual fidelity, we suspect – and will not feature split-screen multiplayer. There's good and bad here, then, but at least the studio's being honest and upfront from the start so that you can choose whether you want to buy the game or not. More developers could learn a thing or two from this approach.