Uh Oh, Ubisoft's Open-World Star Wars Game Has Monetisation

Oh Star Wars, when will you learn? There's a worrying update for Ubisoft's upcoming open-world Star Wars game, and in a case of history repeating itself, those Battlefront II worries are back in a big way.

While there's a lot going on in the world of Wookiees and Wampas in terms of TV and movies right now, let's not forget there's a galaxy (far, far away) of Star Wars video games also joining it.

Alongside Respawn's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, we've got Quantic Dreams' Star Wars Eclipse, Skydance New Media's game from Amy Hennig, and hopes that the Knights of the Old Republic remake will once again get off the ground.

What's Going On With Ubisoft's Star Wars Game?

Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment is currently hard at work on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and the mysterious open-world Star Wars game. The latter is promised to be a departure from the likes of The Division but hopes to be a "unique game in the saga."

Exputer has spotted that Massive Entertainment is currently recruiting for a "Monetization Specialist," with the description explaining they need to "contribute to the financial success of our games, shaping strategies that boost profitability while respecting our players and the essence of each game."

There's a mention of three Ubisoft projects, so it's not too hard to connect the dots to Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars. The only positive is that the job responsibilities include coming up with "justified pricing for items."

If you aren't convinced, the listing directly mentions all of the above and continues: "At Massive, you get to do what you love most while bringing your own experience to our ongoing projects, like Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and The Star Wars Project."

Why Haven't We Learned From Monetising Games?

We know monetisation is everywhere, and when it comes to splashing out for V-bucks in a free game like Fortnite, it's normally not that bad. It becomes a whole different problem when you get to titles, including Diablo Immortal.

Last year, Blizzard was dragged over the coals because of the eye-watering reveal that it could cost $100k to max out a character - all while the game made $49 million in its first 30 days. Of course, this isn't the first time we've been here with Star Wars.

When Star Wars: Battlefront II launched under Electronic Arts in 2017, the title was so mired in controversy, it pulled in-game purchases before it even launched. Things only got worse when it inadvertently kicked off the Belgian loot box investigation.

For those holding out hope that Ubisoft won't be charging you through the roof for some mere cosmetics, Exputer notes that Frontiers doesn't have any multiplayer component, so it can't be for anything like a battle pass. Sigh, just when 2023 was looking promising.