Excited as we are that there’s a new NFS game for mobile, EA is apparently up to no good as it has come up with a sneaky way to earn money on its free-to-play Need For Speed: No Limits release. According to reports, the company is charging real money to fill up your virtual gas tank in-game.
Need For Speed: No Limits is schedules to arrive this spring, but it’s already available on iOS in select locations. And as you probably know, EA has implemented a fermium model where you can download and play the game for free, but it’ll cost you for additional content. Well, that how free-to-play normally works, but you won’t be getting the liberty to race for as long as you like.
There will be a limitation as to how many times you can hit the streets and that will be based on your fuel tank. Android Police is reporting that with each race, you’ll consume a certain amount of fuel. And once you’ve run out of gas, it’s either wait a long time for the tank to get refilled automatically or shell out real cash to continue burning rubber.
Also read: Trials Fusion has finally been treated to online multiplayer support
While EA is under fire for this approach, it isn’t the only game developer to impose such restrictions. Almost every F2P title implements a similar model and that’s what keeps players coming back or shelling out real money for extended play time. In the NFS title, you’ll need to use hard cash to purchase in-game gold which can be exchanged for fuel and upgrades for your vehicle.
We understand using micro-transitions for premium in-game content, but asking players to pay for fuel on a title called Need For Speed: No Limits is certainly ironic.