We have some slightly unpleasant news for players of Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled today.

Earlier, we reported on the upcoming ‘Back N. Time’ Grand Prix event – which will let players earn new skins and karts through regular gameplay from 2 – 25 August 2019. Unfortunately, it looks like publisher Activision is also looking to cash in on more gullible customers this round.

Apparently, players will now be able to purchase in-game Wumpa Coins with real-world money. Wumpa Coins normally speed up Grand Prix unlocks, but they were usually earned through gameplay only. What this change means is that impatient players can now be pressured into spending more real money on the game, on top of the game’s usual retail price. This is as seen in Activision’s latest blog post:

“As always, the Pit Stop will be stocked with new and returning characters and cosmetic items, which players can unlock using Wumpa Coins*. With all this content available, there will also now be a way for players to fast-track their Wumpa Coin collection if they like. Starting in early August, players will have the option to purchase Wumpa Coin bundles from their game console stores to supplement the Coins they earn by playing. This option won’t change the game’s core mechanics – players will still earn Wumpa Coins by playing the game in any mode, just as before. They will just able to purchase additional coins if they choose.”

We can’t imagine that gamers will take lightly to this – as there no such mention of these microtransaction options at launch. Essentially, the Grand Prix mode will become more like how a lot of mobile games are nowadays – where players can purchase quick unlocks, or suffer a long grind.

We’ll report back if the situation develops further in the future.