Final Fantasy Racing Game Chocobo GP Gets Rid of Its Free-To-Play Version and Microtransactions
Square Enix quietly updated the Final Fantasy racing game Chocobo GP a few days ago and it now allows players to unlock all in-game items without spending any money as the game no longer features any microtransactions.
Spotted by Nintendeal, the game’s eShop listing was updated to say “Release date: June 15, 2023.” There were two versions of the game – its free-to-play Chocobo GP Lite and Chocobo GP – and both of them were filled with microtransactions, despite the latter being priced at $50.
Square Enix re-released Chocobo GP on June 15 — it now includes all unlockables in-game and no longer has microtransactions https://t.co/w6P55n6S4v
If you previously played Chocobo GP Lite, you can purchase the upgrade to transfer your save: https://t.co/vgyObWutJr pic.twitter.com/2HZ9bzhXxK
— Nintendeal (@Nintendeal) June 19, 2023
While it seems like the game has been free of microtransactions for a while, this new version makes all of the timed-exclusive content readily available to unlock, including new vehicle colors that were tied to certain seasons. Players can now also simply grind to unlock characters and costumes.
On the eShop, the new download is actually just the Chocobo GP Lite version with an upgrade to receive the full version. Those who already downloaded Lite should just purchase the “upgrade to the full game” DLC instead.
Back in May, Square Enix announced that it would be discontinuing Chocobo GP Lite in all regions on June 1. The Mythril currency would lose its value on May 31, but those who already downloaded the game could still continue playing as well as upgrade to the full version.
While it's exciting that players turned off by the microtransactions and free-to-play mechanics of Chocobo GP may now have a reason to check out the game, Square Enix did announce back in December 2022 that there will be "no further large scale updates (e.g. new characters or new maps) to the game after the Season 5 update on Wednesday, December 21, 2022."
That being said, there is still a lot of content in the game and may be worth a look for those who need a little more Final Fantasy in their lives before Final Fantasy 16 arrives.
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He's been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey
