Bizarrely, the upcoming Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth has its New Game Plus feature locked behind a $15 paywall as part of the game’s Deluxe Edition. First reported by PCGamer, this move by Sega sets a new precedent in video game monetization.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is slated to launch on January 25 with its Standard Edition priced at 70 USD. However, what the game’s Steam or PlayStation store page does not state anywhere is that the New Game Plus feature only comes with the Deluxe and Ultimate editions of the game, which are priced at 85 and 100 USD respectively. Instead, there’s mention of a Master Vacation Bundle as something you get from purchasing these more expensive editions.
Upon further inspection of the game’s official website, you can spot that New Game Plus is folded into this Master Vacation Bundle, which houses a bonus dungeon, special sujimon, resort guests, outfits, and more. While I can understand the latter bonus contents locked behind a paywall, adding NG+, a feature that’s been a part of the base game since time immemorial, into the same mix seems like a predatory move on Sega’s part. What’s even worse is omitting this detail in the Steam and PlayStation Store pages of the game.
Last year, we saw the advent of monetization in the form of 3-5 days of early access for several AAA releases. First done by Blizzard with Diablo 4, other big game launches of 2023 like Starfield and Lies of P also had a few days of early access folded into their premium edition bonuses. Now it remains to be seen whether Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth sets a new industry trend of putting New Game Plus as a “Premium” feature.
