Is Arena Breakout Infinite a pay-to-win game? Monetization and Microtransactions explained

Based on how monetization and microtransactions work, it won't be far-fetched to call Arena Breakout Infinite a pay-to-win game. The ABI or Arena Breakout Infinite is a free-to-play tactical shooter extraction that has been gaining a lot of traction recently. Many in the genre's community have dubbed it the "Escape From Tarkov killer" as it provides a lot of content without charging a dime.

However, recently, fans have raised concerns about the game being a pay-to-win shooter, and this is primarily because of how the developers decided to monetize the game.

That said, in this article, we'll take a closer look at the Arena Breakout Infinite's monetization and microtransaction system and discuss why the game is a pay-to-win shooter.

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Problems with Arena Breakout Infinite's monetization and microtransactions explained

Before we dive into the problems with Arena Breakout Infinite's monetization and microtransactions, it is imperative to understand what pay-to-win is. Simply put, anytime you get an advantage in a video game over other players by paying for it with real-world currency, it is considered pay-to-win. So for instance, let's say there is a particular item in a PvE game that deals double the damage of a regular gun but is difficult to unlock.

Now, if you can purchase it with your money and skip the grind, you gain an advantage over other players who decided not to spend their money. Using this item in-game will now give you an edge over others and allow you to dominate the match because you simply paid for it while others did not. This is not only unfair but also ruins the competitive integrity of the game.

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So how is Arena Breakout Infinite a pay-to-win game? First, ABI is a PvPvE game, meaning that you will encounter other players and AI enemies. Since you are matched against other players, how microtransactions are designed will play a role in determining if it is pay-to-win.

In ABI, you have three types of currency. First is Koen, the in-game cash that you can earn by looting or selling items. Second is Coins, which are not live yet, and finally, Bonds, which can be purchased with real-world currency and can be traded for Koens.

After trading Bonds for Koens, the latter can be used to purchase high-tier gear and items that other players who did not spend money will not have access to immediately.

So, if you decide to pay for the Bonds, you are skipping a lot of grind and having access to high-tier items which can cost over a million Koens. For context, on an average run, players who did not pay for any item will be making around 100,000 to 200,000 Koens. In contrast, buying Bonds can give you access to millions of Koens almost instantly, allowing you to make purchases that will help you dominate the matches easily.

Since items are costly, most players tend to run mid-tier gear, which can be easily destroyed with high-tier items. Furthermore, you can get thermal scopes that allow you to see enemies easily, but they cost over a million Koens, which a regular user will not have immediate access to.

Various gear in Arena Breakout Infinite (Image via Morefun Studios)

Now imagine someone who is spending the money on Bonds, getting access to high-tier items, for them each match is almost a win. This will result in the regular players being unable to get more Koens in-game as they face defeat after defeat. And finally, they will be stuck with low-tier gear, whereas players who spend cash are reigning supreme. But that's not all.

Spending money on Arena Breakout Infinite will give you access to some specific "privileges" that are outright abysmal. For instance, the in-game world text chat channel has a limit of 20 messages per day, and if you want to chat more, you will have to pay to send more messages.

Furthermore, by spending money you get specific items in the game. For example, it can get you bigger cases, allowing you to keep more items after a failed extraction, or a keychain, which can hold up to 15 keys. For reference, the default keychain is capable of holding only 3 keys. On top of that, you get special access to be able to sell more items in the in-game store, which has a limit set by the developers for the players who haven't paid for these "privileges."

Based on how the developers have monetized and implemented microtransactions in the game, it can be easily concluded that the Arena Breakout Infinite is a pay-to-win game.

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That covers everything about the pay-to-win monetization and microtransactions in Arena Breakout Infinite.

For more articles about ABI, check out the links below:

• "Officially a pay-to-win disaster": FPS community's reactions to ABI PC are in, and they are not good
• Arena Breakout Infinite Early Access: All maps, weapons, features, and more
• Arena Breakout Infinite preview: The escape from Tarkov you didn't know you needed