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Brendan ‘PlayerUnknown’ Greene has taken to the update patch notes for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ 4th monthly update to defend the team’s inclusion of a crate and key system.
“While our intention was and still is to add the full (crate and key) feature to the game when we move into actual release, we do need to test it prior to launch and at Early Access so that it is stable and ready to be fully introduced to our community.” said Greene in the patch notes for Monthly Update 4.
“The idea of testing, prior to full implementation, is at the heart of adding every new game feature in our game, and this includes the crate and key system which we believe will serve as the foundation of a healthy economy after launch. This is an economy that would and should benefit all players – both who are willing to pay and who are not willing to pay for vanity items. It is important that all our players are able to enjoy the various items that will be provided for customization, and it is even more crucial that we have a stable self-sustaining economy that maintains the value of the items you have purchased or gained.”
Greene has responded to the furore that’s seized the community after the introduction of the Gamescom loot boxes, which require a paid-for key to unlock.
“I do understand your concerns about the system, but I feel testing for a sturdy economy on the Steam Marketplace is necessary at this stage and ultimately beneficial for the game,” Green continues. “This is a purely optional system, and you are not forced into participating if you do not feel like it. You will still get a fully featured game, with a polished Battle Royale game-mode, a wide variety of weapons and vehicles to play with, stat tracking, ranking and leaderboard systems, 2D and 3D replays and much more.”
However, Green has admitted that the clarity of messaging perhaps wasn’t there with the initial announcement, which revealed that two addition free crates would be added alongside a single crate that required payment to open.
“I’ve learned a lot, and we’ll try to communicate better moving forwards,” Green said, capping off his statement.
In the patch notes, he also revealed more details about exactly how the cosmetic crates would be working. The two new free-to-play crates will work as the existing pioneer crate, although with a different selection of items: pick up the free Survivor crate and you too could have a chance to get the sweet Matrix-esque coat that flares out when you land from a height.
This means the limit on how many crates you can get a week (six, currently) with ascending prices that reset each Monday, mean that those with money can’t just buy an infinite amount of crates – except if you buy them for cash on the Steam marketplace. This means for the paid Gamescom crate, you’ll need to pay for the crate with in-game currency and then use real-life money to get a key to open up your sweet loot.
The two new free crates and the paid-for Gamescom crate will arrive with the monthly update on the 3rd August.
