Author: dpugh007

Microsoft’s newest big-time exclusive, Gears 5, released in September and it enjoyed a record-breaking release. However, not everyone is happy with the game, with some voicing concerns over its microtransactions and in-game economy. Now, the head of Gears 5 studio The Coalition has responded.

Responding to someone who voiced concerns about the prices of items and the grinding it takes to earn them without spending money, Fergusson said the in-game economy is a work in progress. Fergusson pointed out that Gears 5 has a “completely different” economy compared to Gears of War 4 because the new game gives away its new DLC maps and more for free.

“We’re learning as we go,” he said. “This is a completely different economy from Gears 4 (removed Gear packs) so it will take a little time to work through any issues. Our first attempt is not our last and we will continue to evolve until we get it right.”

In another tweet, Fergusson said Gears 5 offers “way more” free content than Gears of War 4, and the developer is planning to release even more free extra content down the road. Some of the upcoming free DLC will include more maps, characters, and skins.

“We’re learning and improving as we go. There’s no magic wand here. Even small changes take time to create content and design skills and Ultimates,” Fergusson said in yet another tweet.

Gears 5’s in-game virtual currency is called Iron, and players can buy it in various allotments with corresponding prices. The Iron can be spent on things like XP boosts for 1-30 days, World Flags for player cards, weapon skins, emotes, marks, executions, and more. Gears 5 adopts a Fortnite-style rotating system whereby certain items are only available for a limited time, which in turn encourages players to buy the content before it leaves the store.

• I’m Still Waiting On Gears Of War’s Story To Grow Up

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Ubisoft is one of the biggest video game publishers in the business. It owns some of the industry’s biggest franchises, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, and Far Cry. But just how big are those series? The company has now updated its Facts & Figures page with new numbers that speak to the enormity of Ubisoft’s biggest properties.

As spotted by industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, Ubisoft’s numbers show the latest sales figures through June 2019. While they may be a bit out of date by now, they still speak to the size and scale of Ubisoft’s most prominent franchises.

The numbers and other statistics are as follows:

• Assassin’s Creed: 140 million+ copies sold; 95 million unique players
• Rayman: 40+ different game releases on 20+ different platforms
• Far Cry: 50 million+ copies sold since Far Cry 2; 79 million Far Cry game sessions played since Far Cry 5
• Just Dance: 70 million+ copies sold; 120 million+ players; 2.5 billion+ songs played; 80 billion kilocalories burned
• Rabbids: 20 million+ copies sold
• For Honor: More than 21 million players worldwide
• Ghost Recon: 30 million players since 2001; 10 million players for Ghost Recon: Wildlands alone
• The Division: 20 million players; fastest-selling new IP for Ubisoft ever
• The Crew: 21 million players since 2016
• Rainbow Six Siege: 50 million players
• Splinter Cell: 30 million+ copies sold
• Steep: More than 1.2 billion kilometres of trail covered; 5.6 billion jumps
• Watch Dogs: 36 million+ unique players

Ubisoft’s next big game is Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, which launches on October 4 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For lots more on that game, check out GameSpot’s breakdown of pre-loading, file sizes, server start times, and more.

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