By Amaan on October 8, 2024

According to an interview with Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka and Sonic Rumble director Makoto Tase, upcoming 3D mobile royale game Sonic Rumble will steer clear of "gacha" or pay-to-win mechanics to better appeal to the global audience,

Speaking to Automaton, both Iizuka and Tase elaborated on their decision:

Iizuka: "In the Japanese and Asian markets, it's common to have to spend tens of thousands of yen [in a game] until you draw a rare character and finally get to move on. But this is not the case in the global market, especially for an action game like Sonic Rumble, where players should be able to enjoy the game on an equal footing. The starting point of this project itself was to make it a mobile game that would sell globally. Therefore, the monetisation model was designed from the beginning based on global standards."

Tase: "Monetisation models that use gacha mechanics have not been very successful when it comes to games targeted towards worldwide audiences of all ages. Also, such mechanics tend to be shunned overseas, so we didn't think it was the right choice for this project."

Gacha games usually lock characters, weapons, or other items that affect gameplay behind a summoning or "loot box" like system, where expending materials will allow you a chance to get your desired character or item. Gacha have become a lucrative model for mobile games due to players spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the game, and even Nintendo has used it in games like Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing Pocket Camp.

Despite this decision, however, Sonic Rumble will still have in-game purchases available through its ring shop, where players can exchange money for rings (which can be accquired through gameplay) to buy cosmetic items.

Sonic Rumble is expected to arrive on PC and mobile before the end of the year.

Source / Via