Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has been out for a month now. Out of the gate, it was met with solid critical reviews and great sales. And now that we’re past the point where most reviewers and outlets have moved on, Ubisoft has made the decision to let players buy an XP boost. This kind of thing has been in Assassin’s Creed games previously; however, it’s weird that they’ve waited until now to release these boosts.
Some might remember games like Crash Team Racing who rode high review scores to big sales. Then, they hit the community with scummy, post-launch microtransactions. Importantly, this let Activision skirt the ESRB to some degree, as many parents bought the game not knowing these predatory microtransactions were coming.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is not nearly as bad because they did allow you to buy cosmetic items before this update. So, it’s not like they’re Trojan-horsing microtransactions into something that shipped without them. That said, I’ll always balk at games letting you buy an XP boost. Whether it’s true or not, it gives the impression that normal progression is being slowed down to entice me to spend some cash.
Now, it’s important to note that Game Informer was the first to spot this. They then reached out to Ubisoft to ask that same question. The answer they got back says that XP rates haven’t been changed. Instead, Ubisoft just wants to give players the option to quickly get to the post-launch content and seasonal events they’ll be running.
Hopefully, that’s true. Otherwise, this is yet another scummy move from a company that’s made too many missteps to count this year. If handled well, these can be a boon for players who don’t have the time they used to. So, even while I actively push back on all microtransactions, I’m happy that things like this allow those players the opportunity to enjoy their favorite games at their pace. It just shouldn’t come at the expense of players who don’t shell out extra.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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