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On the 29th of August, GTA V developers Rockstar
Games released an update for another brand new DLC update called Smuggler’s
Run.
The new DLC includes a major addition to GTA V’s online mode,
boasting 14 new aircraft and 2 land vehicles, additionally, characters now also
have more than 500 new clothing items to choose from.
Players can now purchase hangars, customise personal
aircraft and build a small fortune by helping Ron smuggle goods across the San
Andreas border in new missions, following the theme of the previous
Import/Export expansion from 2016.
Smuggler’s Run is the latest addition to a long line of GTA
V updates by Rockstar, all of which are completely free, something that is
almost totally unheard of in today’s gaming industry.
Ever since the early 00’s, games developers across the board
have relied on downloadable content to give their sales an extra financial kick,
whether it’s through added story-line content or cosmetic items through micro-transactions.
Seemingly gone are the days where players would freely
unlock additional content and be rewarded simply for progressing or achieving
higher than others.
But is there method to Rockstar’s madness? GTA V, despite
its wealth of free content, does feature micro-transactions with varying
amounts of purchasable in-game currency known as Shark Cards.
With every new release, players are required to spend their
in-game savings to access new features such as offices, clubhouses and aircraft
hangars which act as a base of operations for missions.
The twist in the tail however, is that these new facilities
can cost a small (in-game) fortune, which sometimes leaves a lot of players
empty handed.
Those who are keen to play new content but lack the
financial means are then forced to make a choice, either slowly grind, saving
up the necessary funds, or with a few clicks, pay for in game currency, many of
whom choose the latter.
As of 2016, these micro-transactions alone had doubled
Rockstar’s original production budget and, with the added income it has reaped,
it will most likely continue.