Assassin's Creed Unity Has Microtransactions, But Ubisoft Says They Won't Compromise Gameplay

[UPDATE] Asked for clarification about microtransactions in Assassin's Creed Unity, a Ubisoft spokesperson told GameSpot, "We will have more information at a later date."

The original story is below.

Upcoming stealth-action game Assassin's Creed Unity will have a "fast track" microtransaction system that allows players to unlock gear by spending real-world money. This system, however, will not affect gameplay in a significant way, according to senior producer Vincent Pontbriand.

In an interview with OXM, he said that Assassin's Creed Unity's item unlocks are "pretty much" as far as micropayments will go in the game. Ubisoft has yet to formally reveal how the system works, and we have followed up with Ubisoft, asking for more details.

OXM reports that players can "hack" unlocks for gear items in Assassin's Creed Unity by spending real-world money instead of earning them through gameplay. Microtransactions are nothing new for the Assassin's Creed franchise, and have been in place since 2012's Assassin's Creed III.

While a microtransaction system may not suit every game, it does work for Assassin's Creed Unity because it does not fundamentally affect the overall experience, Pontbriand said. "If we think it fits the gameplay, or the brand itself, the core values, we're willing to take those risks. If not, then not," he said. "We're not going to make any compromises."

[For more on the increasingly common trend of letting gamers pay to skip the grind in games, check out GameSpot's editorial on the subject]

Assassin's Creed Unity launches October 28 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Another Assassin's Creed title, Assassin's Creed Rogue, is coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 two weeks later on November 11.

We published new previews for both games this week:

• Four Reasons I'm Suddenly Interested in Assassin's Creed Rogue
• How the Assassinations in Assassin's Creed Unity Encourage Patience and Creativity