The Remake of Capcom’s zombie-ish thriller Resident Evil 4, slated for release this coming March, will include in-game purchases. News of the additional content began to circulate after the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) released an official rating summary of the game as originally reported by GameRant.
In addition to rating the game M for Mature, based on its inclusion of blood and gore, intense violence, and strong language, the rating summary also gives a detailed description of the types of weapons that protagonist Leon Kennedy wields in battle, from pistols to machine guns, as well as the graphic violence resulting in the attacks laid out by and against Leon. While this is standard fare for the ESRB, which has been rating games in North America for age-appropriate content since 1994, keen-eyed observers have taken an interest in the bottom left corner of its ratings summary, which states “In-Game Purchases (PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5).”
What’s not clear, however is just what these in-game purchases, also known throughout the gaming community as microtransactions, will entail. The original Resident Evil 4 released back in 2005, eliminated the fixed cameras of the older entries in the series in favor of faster-paced infected-slaying action. The choice to revamp this particular entry in the series, which has always played more like a traditional shooter than some of its series predecessors, coupled with the fact that the remake of Resident Evil 3 included a multiplayer mode, has led some fans to believe that multiplayer may be making its way to the upcoming entry as well.
In addition to Leon, we’ve already seen from footage released by the publisher that both Ashley Graham and Ada Wong will be returning for the remake, and both the player-controlled character and enemies will have a wider variety of attacks, so this could point to an even more action-oriented style of gameplay that could be enhanced through the inclusion of multiplayer. Of course, inventory management and crating will also play a role in the game, and the merchant will be returning, so it remains possible that the in-game transactions could be for something as simple as purchasing additional equipment or crafting supplies.
Resident Evil 4 Remake is scheduled for release on March 24 of next year for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.