Chinese developer NetEase has recently revealed a brand-new gameplay trailer for their upcoming “urban open-world RPG” ANANTA. Despite there being no official release date as of yet, the game has already garnered a steady amount of hype, reaching over 11 million pre-registrations globally. The appealing mix of GTA and Spiderman-like gameplay with anime girls is what seems to have piqued the interest of to-be players, but being a high-budget, free-to-play title, ANANTA’s monetization model is inevitably a point many have been curious about. Surprisingly, the developers have not settled for gacha.
While its 3D anime-inspired visual style is strongly reminiscent of popular gacha games like Genshin Impact, Japanese game media outlet Famitsu confirms that ANANTA is not going to have a character gacha system. This means that all of the playable characters will be obtainable for free, unlocked as you progress the story. Instead, ANANTA’s monetization will rely on cosmetics. The game will have customization options for outfits, vehicles and the player’s house, so if you want to make your characters feel truly yours, you might have to spend a buck or two on skins and other cosmetics.
On a related note, the developers of another highly anticipated free-to-play RPG – Duet Night Abyss – recently revealed that they abolished character gacha as their primary monetization model just a few months before the game’s official release. They say this was to prevent forced spending and a pay-to-win system, as their priority is getting players to actually enjoy the game in the long term. Their monetization model will likewise be shifting to cosmetics-focused microtransactions that won’t affect the overall gameplay experience. With Duet Night Abyss and ANANTA as some of the first examples, it will be interesting to see if future high-budget free-to-play games will be shifting away from gacha monetization systems in favor of creating a more gameplay-focused and less stressful environment for the players.
