Need for Speed Payback Getting Changes to Progression System

Published: November 17, 2017 10:31 PM /

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Need for Speed Payback Review Gameplay

Yesterday EA made the surprising move to temporarily suspend microtransactions in Star Wars Battlefront 2 amid heated feedback from the community, but it looks like another game is getting some similar changes. Need for Speed Payback, the week-old racer that had a poor reception on release due in large part to its progression system pushing players towards microtransactions, is getting some updates that look to lessen the grind the game is criticized for.

The patch, which went live today, is detailed in a post on the Need for Speed subreddit made by one of the game developers at Ghost Games. Most of the major points involve increased reputation and bank yield from various events, likely in an attempt to speed up the game’s progression. The full details follow below:

  • Increased the amount of REP awarded by taking part in events.
  • Increased the amount of Bank awarded by taking part in events.
  • Bait crates now reward increased REP.
  • Bait crates now reward increased Bank.
  • Competing against a Roaming Racer will reward you with increased REP.
  • Competing against a Roaming Racer will reward you with increased Bank.
  • Air Suspension will now appear more frequently within Shipments.
  • Slightly increased REP and Bank for finishing an event outside of first place.
These updates are meant to be “phase one” of some grand plan, and the developers at Ghost “have further tweaks coming.” No other details were provided. These changes were decided on “using community feedback, along with [their] in-game data.”

It’s unsurprising to see another EA title roll back its microtransaction model. The big release of Battlefront 2 has been mired with drama surrounding its heavy-handed microtransaction business model, which led to the most downvoted comment in Reddit’s history. The uproar for Payback’s loot boxes hasn’t been as ferocious or widely documented, but the game is taking small steps away from microtransactions in the shadow of Battlefront 2.

Will you be trying out Need for Speed Payback after this news? Let us know in the comments below!

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Robert Scarpinito TechRaptor
| Features Editor

Robert Scarpinito is the Features Editor of TechRaptor. With a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the Ohio State University, sharing compelling stories is… More about Robert

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Need for Speed Payback
Developer
Ghost Games
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Platforms
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Release Date
November 10, 2017 (Calendar)
Genre
Racing
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