It seems that a number of players are upset over Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’s use of microtransactions.
Despite Mankind Divided’s positive reception, the pre-order DLC has sparked an angry reaction on the title’s subReddit. The issue is the single use, single save pre-order items. In the game, DLC items are stored in storage, and can be transferred to the inventory at any point. However, players have discovered that after DLC items are transferred to the inventory, they cannot be used again, even on a different playthrough.
In response, the community has suggested to make a save as soon as the game allows, and then claim the DLC content. Then, start every subsequent playthrough from that save instead of a new game from the menu. Of course, players have reacted angrily over the situation, and have been using the game’s subReddit to voice their complaints.
Now, Eidos Montreal community manager Poticha has stepped in. Poticha has clarified that there are two types of items in Mankind Divided: consumables and durables. Consumables are Praxis Kits, ammo, credits, and crafting parts. These are one-time use items, and once they have been added to a player’s inventory, they are consumed in the current playthrough and are not re-usable. Durables, on the other hand, are weapons, skins, and augmentations. These are automatically available in all of a gamer’s playthroughs once they have been downloaded and installed.
Poticha stated that consumables work the way they do “due to first-party constraints.” This statement has just sparked more questions from players who are upset that the consumables are in Mankind Divided in the first place. Many players have accused publisher Square Enix of implementing consumables to create a microtransaction market for Mankind Divided.
Poticha has since taken to Reddit again to insist that Mankind Divided’s microtransactions had no impact on game design: “Hi everyone. We’ve read your concerns, an we just wanted to step in and clarify things here. We have not, and will never, compromise the balance of the game in order to direct people towards microtransactions. The game was balanced 100 per cent independently of the microtransactions available in the store.”
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.