Killing Floor 2 Launching New Item Marketplace, But Only for Cosmetics

Killing Floor 2 is adding a new in-game store and item system, but everything obtained through either of these will be limited to cosmetic changes only.

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The Trading Floor, as it's called, will sell new weapon skins, outfits, and outfit skins. These will be sold for real money, while many (but not all) items will also be handed out for free through an in-game drop system that sounds reminiscent of Team Fortress 2's.

The TF2 comparisons hold true for other aspects of this system as well. You'll be able to earn supply crates and blueprints that can be unlocked to earn new skin variants and weapon skins, respectively, with the purchase of a key. There are different levels of rarity possible, with the highest tier only being available through crates and blueprints. Weapons get an additional layer of rarity in the form of wear; they'll range from mint to battle-scarred, not unlike the TF2 weapons released as part of the Gun Mettle update.

Tripwire is insistent that all of this is purely cosmetic; you won't be buying improved versions of existing weapons or anything of the sort. That approach is part of the reason Payday 2 has recently drawn the ire of its players.

As with items in some other Steam games (like--you guessed it--TF2), most of these items can be traded with other people or sold on the marketplace. You're also free to ignore all of this, though if you don't care about using the items, you'd be passing up free money by not at least selling the stuff you earn for free by playing.

In an FAQ, Tripwire says it has no plans to convert Killing Floor 2 into a free-to-play game or to discontinue support for mods. It adds that it plans to continue offering free content "for years just as we did for Killing Floor 1." That includes adding new classes, maps, and enemies.

Money generated from these items will be split with the content creators (in the case of items that are designed by community members) and go "towards creating new (free) content, events and whatever else we can dream up for you."

As for the fact that this addition is coming while the game is still in early access, Tripwire says, "We view the Trading Floor as a feature that needs iteration just like the rest of the features in the game. Early Access is the perfect place to iterate on the Trading Floor feature with the community."

Some more potentially controversial additions could come in the future, as Tripwire says it'll listen to fan feedback about whether to offer stat or experience boosts. It also reveals there's the potential for new weapons to be added "with new gameplay," but that these will be shared with all players on a server, meaning you'll always have access to the same weapons as anyone you're playing with.