No plans for micro-trans in StarCraft II
"Probably don't make sense," says Blizz.
Blizzard high warlord Frank Pearce has revealed that micro-transactions are not yet part of the StarCraft II plan.
"Not right now - no plans," he told GamesIndustry.biz. "But if you look at the micro-transactions for World of Warcraft as an example, as much as possible, we're not trying to do anything that impacts the gameplay experience, or affects the integrity of the game world at all.
"I think micro-transactions probably don't make sense for a game like StarCraft II. Unless we decide to do something much more extensive with player profiles, then maybe we'll evaluate it."
World of Warcraft offered players the option of buying a glowing Celestial Steed using real-life money. Predictably, the game's huger player-base gobbled the showy mount.
What Peace is most excited about seeing implemented in StarCraft II is a marketplace, he said - where fans can share their home-made maps.
Pearce went on to talk about the "hundreds" of single- and multiplayer achievements contained in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Just like WOW, these awards entice players to attempt things they otherwise might not.
"There's one where you need to seek out a giant Zerg unit that you only see in the single-player, called the Brutilisk. It looks a little bit like a lobster and it's on the Volcano map," he said.
"There's an achievement for luring the Brutilisk out and getting it cooked by the lava - it's called 'Red Lobster' or something. There are a lot of ways to encourage players to try new types of gameplay using achievements systems - maybe that's an example of how we leverage things from other games."
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is due out on Mac and PC on 27th July.
Check out Eurogamer's piping hot hands-on impressions of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty to find out more.