Confirming reports from earlier this week, Rockstar Games has announced that Grand Theft Auto Online (the upcoming multiplayer component of Grand Theft Auto V) will include optional microtransactions that will allow players to use real-world money to purchase in-game cash.
Rockstar Games made the announcement via a post on their website, which reads in part:
“You can either quickly accumulate cash through profitable activities like knocking over armored cars, winning street races, doing stick-ups or a host of other cash-making endeavors – or if you’re the completely instant gratification type, you can choose to buy denominations of GTA$. You will have the option to purchase GTA$ through the in-game Store. The game and its economy have been designed and balanced for the vast majority of players who will not buy extra cash. There is no in-game paywall and nothing that should disrupt the balance of the game. You don’t have to spend real money to attain the cars, guns, clothes, flash and style of a high-roller in Los Santos, but can if you wish to get them a little quicker. The economy is balanced differently from the single player economy, and cash earned in one cannot be taken over to the other. Most players will earn cash much faster Online than in Story Mode.”
Exact details on how much the Grand Theft Auto Online credit will cost were not provided in the post, however, an unconfirmed Eurogamer report suggests the following prices for the cash cards in the UK:
- $100,000 Red Shark Cash Card – £1.99
- $200,000 Tiger Shark Cash Card – £3.49
- $500,000 Bull Shark Cash Card – £6.99
- $1,250,000 Great White Shark Cash Card – £13.49
Assuming these prices are correct, this probably means that US gamers can expect the Grand Theft Auto Online cash cards to range from $2.99 for $100K, up to $19.99 for $1.25m. However, that is just speculation on our part.
Rockstar Games also noted that they are expecting that there will be some server related technical issues when Grand Theft Auto Online launches next week — which is probably a huge understatement when you consider the number of problems that have plagued the Social Club since GTA V launched. The studio is asking for understanding, and noted that they will be actively looking for feedback on how to improve the online experience post-launch.
The post also details several of the activities that players will be able to do when Grand Theft Auto Online goes live on October 1st, and provides a short list of free updates that Rockstar is planning to roll out in the “first few weeks.”
We will keep an eye out for the official price structure for the Grand Theft Auto Online cash cards, and let you know as soon as any new details are announced.