Fans Disappointed with Chocobo GP Microtransactions and Expiring Premium Currency

Square Enix's kart racing Final Fantasy spin-off, Chocobo GP, has been facing criticism from fans.

Chocobo GP released yesterday exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. The game is a sequel to the 1999 release Chocobo Racing, and features a number of characters and locales from across the Final Fantasy franchise.

At the time of writing, Chocobo GP can be purchased from the Nintendo eShop for $49.99 USD. However, many fans have expressed concerns over the game's extensive use of microtransactions. In additon, the game's premium currency "Mythril" has an expiration date of just five months.

While the game does feature a free Lite version, its features are limited. The only online mode available in the Lite version is Chocobo GP mode, a 64-player knock-out style online tournament. The free mode only offers players a limited selection of characters, with no way to earn or purchase more without buying the full-price game.

Despite this, some fans have pointed out that the paid version isn't much better, with the game encouraging players to purchase the premium currency and a battle pass, currently featuring popular Final Fantasy protagonist Cloud.

Such features are common in a free-to-play style game. However, with many elements seemingly locked behind paywalls, such designs seems unwarranted for a full-priced game.

Square Enix has addressed some of the concerns that players have expressed. In a tweet via the Final Fantasy account, the studio said, "Thank you for playing Chocobo GP. We are sorry that players are currently unable to play the Chocobo GP mode to a satisfactory level, to apologise we have gifted everyone 500 Mythril free of charge."

While this gesture of goodwill is a great first step, it sadly will still face the issue of expiring currency.

It's early days for Chocobo GP. Whether Square Enix will look to implement more changes to the game as time goes on is yet to be seen.