Uncharted 4 Multiplayer to Include Microtransactions "From the Outset"

The multiplayer portion of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will incorporate microtransactions from the outset, according to the game's lead multiplayer designer Robert Cogburn.

Players will be able to purchase various weapons, tools, and upgrades, but the studio has made it clear that every item can also be earned through in-game currency.

Following a private demonstration of Uncharted 4 at Paris Games Week to a gathering of journalists, Cogburn opened the floor to questions. He was asked by GameSpot if--since Uncharted 4's multiplayer includes an in-game currency model--the game would eventually adopt microtransactions.

"Microtransactions will be available at launch, but we'll have no gameplay items that will be gated through microtransactions," he replied.

Uncharted 4's multiplayer mode makes a deliberate move away from the action-movie realism of the main campaign, with players allowed to use mystical totems to unlock supernatural abilities, as well as summon sidekicks (medics, snipers, etcetera). At the outset of each match, players can select various weapons at different in-game currency prices, a la Counter-Strike.

GameSpot will be providing a hands-on preview of the multiplayer mode shortly.

Cogburn added that striking the right balance, between grinding for items and incentivising real-money acquisitions, will be determined after Naughty Dog looks at the data from the Uncharted 4 multiplayer beta.

Later, Cogburn explained that the multiplayer mode will render at 60 frames-per-second, although at 900p, due to the studio's belief that the smoothest possible experience is crucial in multiplayer. By contrast, Uncharted 4's campaign mode will display at 1080p30.

Cogburn also said Uncharted 4 will "most likely be Naughty Dog's last game in the series," though when asked about this later he suggested this wasn't absolutely confirmed.

"We as a studio feel that this will probably be the last Uncharted game we do. Who knows?"

Creative director Neil Druckmann previously said it is bringing closure to protagonist Nathan Drake's journey, and the game will be the "end of an era" for the studio.

Elsewhere in the interview, Cogburn was also asked about co-op, to which he replied "we'll be talking about co-op later."

The Uncharted 4 release date has been confirmed as March 18, 2016.