Over two months after concluding the closed beta, Arena Breakout Infinite is back again, and this time around, it offers more content and features, all of which are massively overshadowed by the game’s pay-to-win monetization model.
It was expected from the very beginning that Arena Breakout Infinite might lean toward a pay-to-win approach after its global release to monetize its free-to-play experience, but it seems like Tencent couldn’t come up with any ideas better than a straightforward pay-to-win flag in the game.
It doesn’t take Arean Breakout Infinite long to slap you in the face with its ruthless pay-to-win offers. As soon as you finish your tutorial raids, the access to the in-game store unlocks, and well, you get to know everything about this new extraction shooter pretty soon.
Arena Breakout Infinite requires players to pay a monthly fee to receive access to a secure case, otherwise, they can only earn limited trial cards by grinding the game for a long time, which allows you to only own the tiniest secure case for 1 day or 3 days, based on your trial coupon.
This was something that all players noticed during the closed beta testing as well, but it is not the worst thing about Arena Breakout Infinite. There is also an Elite subscription service that offers 150 additional storage grids, 300 extra weekly listings on the market, 8 extra simultaneous listings, and a fancy label. But weirdly, this subscription does not include any secure case, which is just an indicator of Tencent’s pure greed.
Still, we can live with that too. Of course, a secure case is greatly valuable in an extraction shooter, but I can still accept this unfair disadvantage and enjoy the game if Arena Breakout Infinite doesn’t sell the in-game currency.
So, yes! This game allows players to pay some real-life cash and then receive millions of in-game currency, which can be used to upgrade every weapon you own, with this detailed upgrading system we have known since the closed beta, you can turn a garbage Carbine into a deadly marksman rifle. And that’s where Arena Breakout Infinite becomes intolerable.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t even end here. Upgrading a normal weapon to a badass killing machine is not the only thing in-game currency can do for you. The riskier game modes like Lockdown Zone or Forbidden Zone require an entry fee as well as a minimum loadout value. So, players who do pay for in-game currency will easily bypass both of those requirements, but those who want to go with the natural progression will have to grind heavily in the normal mode for better loots and complete the quests to eventually meet those requirements.
But you know what’s worse about the Lockdown Zone and the Forbidden Zone? The new map, Armory, is only available in these risky modes. So, those who do pay for in-game currency will even have easier and instant access to new content rather than free-to-play players.
Arena Breakout Infinite doesn’t fail in one, but multiple points in its monetization model. The game is purely pay-to-win and no one can hide it.
The gameplay is fun, the new Armory map is intense, and the upgrading system is lovely, but when you can see some players earn your dream item or weapon instantly while you have to grind for it for days if not weeks, then there is no reason to play Arena Breakout Infinite no matter how enjoyable the gameplay is. When players are not treated equally, then why should you insult yourself?
