Microsoft is reportedly planning to introduce a new Xbox ‘Career’ system that would add levelling, quests and loot to the existing Achievements and Gamerscore systems.
Windows Central reports that it has received internal documentation that reveals Microsoft is testing the new feature.
According to the documents, the Career system will offer gamers ‘quests’ to complete specific objectives like playing certain games, which will reward them with loot boxes containing Xbox Avatar cosmetic items and experience points. The documentation suggests that loot boxes will not be purchasable with real money.
This follows comments made by Xbox corporate vice president Mike Ybarra in August, who told Windows Central that the company was looking to “fundamentally change” the Achievement system.
However, it’s currently unclear when this Career system may be introduced. That said, the feature would presumably be released after the rollout of the new Avatar system announced during Microsoft’s E3 2017 keynote.
The revamped Avatars — which give players additional customization options focused on diversity and inclusivity — were originally slated for release last fall, but were later delayed until 2018. Ybarra said on Twitter they are “most likely” to debut early in the year.
Achievements, meanwhile, were first introduced by Microsoft in November 2005 with the launch of the Xbox 360. Achievements were also brought over to Windows games later on.
Sony followed suit in June 2008 with the introduction of similar concept centred around different tiers of ‘Trophies’ on the PlayStation 3. Trophies later made their way to Sony’s second handheld system, the PlayStation Vita, as well as its current-generation PlayStation 4 console.
Nintendo has not yet implemented an achievement-based system in any of its systems, although an indie developer revealed last year that one is in the works.
The Achievement system has become a significant meta-game for some players, pushing them to experience everything a game has to offer to receive the full 1,000 Gamerscore. Interestingly, the gamer with the most Gamerscore is Stephen “smrnov” Rowe, who overtook the previous record holder in July by reaching 1,592,280 G.
In other news, the latest Xbox One update has been confirmed to introduce a ‘do not disturb’ mode to allow users to mute notifications while using their systems.
Source: Windows Central Via: Rolling Stone
