Wild Hearts will have free post-launch content and no microtransactions, it’s claimed

EA and Koei Tecmo’s monster hunting game Wild Hearts will have no microtransactions and free post-launch content, it’s been claimed.

The game’s executive producer Lewis Harvey was taking part in a Reddit AMA session when he was asked what players could expect in terms of in-game monetisation.

“All post-launch contents will be free, including new Kemono and more,” he replied, adding: “We don’t have any plans to feature microtransactions.”

Kemono are the game’s large monsters, which players hunt either alone or with up to two other players in co-op.

Elsewhere in the AMA, Harvey also stated that players wishing to play the game solo can do so completely offline, and that there is a post-campaign endgame with more powerful Kemono which will be expanded with the free content updates.

He also confirmed that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions would offer a default Performance mode at 1080p and 60fps, as well as an optional Quality mode offering “up to 4K and 30fps”.

Not all of Harvey’s answers were positive, however. As well as confirming that there’s no female-specific armour in the game at launch, he also noted that the game won’t be supported on Steam Deck, though he added: “Hopefully we can get to this in the future.”

Wild Hearts is set for release on February 17 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Origin, Steam and Epic Games Store.

The game is set in a fantasy feudal Japan, where players battle against Kemono with the help of Karakuri, sophisticated mechanisms crafted from a lost, ancient technology.

Further reading

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2023 Preview: Wild Hearts has the potential to be a real Monster Hunter rival

But can EA and Koei Tecmo iron out its technical issues in time?

Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson said back in November that he has high hopes for Wild Hearts.

“The monster hunter genre is a relatively new genre,” he said during an earnings call. “It exploded. It is ripe for innovation and creativity and expansion, and what we see the team doing is all of the things the community is asking for in the genre.

“And the response so far has been really, really strong. And so, I don’t want to get out over my skis on this one, but I would tell you, I saw it and I think it’s incredible, the community saw it and they think it’s incredible.”