Payday 2 to include microtransactions after developer promises that will never happen

Microtransactions can be frustrating money grabs that can make an already purchased game feel incomplete. They’re also becoming a frequent feature in gaming on the whole, so it isn’t so much a shock when it gets announced that a new game will include them. What does come as a shock is when a developer, in this case Payday 2’s Overkill, swears up and down that this is something that they don’t believe in, promise that it will never be a part of the game and then release an update that includes just that.

Two years ago, producer Almir Listo stated via the game’s Steam forum "We've made it clear that Payday 2 will have no microtransactions whatsoever (shame on you if you thought otherwise!)". Other members of the team also voiced similar protests of microtransactions within the game since its release. All that is a moot point now that the Black Market update is dropping and allows players to pay for drills to crack safes and claim loot which can then either be kept for self use or traded through the Steam Workshop.

While it’s easy to see the appeal for microtransactions from a developer or publisher’s point of view, when you backpedal after making very clear assertions against it in a specific game like was done in this case, it’s a choice that can very easily make you lose credibility and trust with your consumer.