Destiny is getting microtransactions next week so you can buy emotes (update)

Destiny developer Bungie is adding microtransactions to the game starting Oct. 13, giving players the ability to purchase additional emotes, the studio announced today.

Bungie will bring back the vendor Tess Everis on that date, and she will return to the Tower with "a new look, a new storefront, and some new items to sell, courtesy of Eververse Trading Company," the studio said in a blog post.

Everis, who was removed from Destiny with a hotfix in mid-August, will be selling 18 emotes to start. Players will buy emotes with a new in-game currency called Silver, which they can purchase with real money through the PlayStation Store or Xbox Games Store.

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Emotes have always existed in Destiny, but they became a point of contention after the publication of a controversial interview with Destiny: The Taken King creative director Luke Smith about the three emotes that were exclusively included in the expansion's $80 Collector's Edition. Bungie is selling the exclusive content on its own for $20. The company gave no pricing details today for the emotes Everis will offer, saying instead that it will provide that information, along with images and descriptions, on Oct. 13.

Bungie stressed that all emotes are "completely optional, and won't impact the action game in any way." The studio will provide some free Silver to all Destiny players so they can buy a couple of emotes and try them out.

According to Bungie, these microtransactions are an effort to "bolster the service provided by our live team for another full year, as they grow and create more robust and engaging events that we'll announce later this year.

"It has been, and continues to be, our goal to deliver updates to the game," Bungie continued. "Going forward, our live team is also looking to grow beyond vital updates and improvements to focus on world events, experiences, and feature requests."

For more on Destiny: The Taken King, check out our review.

Update: Citing two anonymous sources who are "familiar with Destiny's development," Kotaku reports that Activision is looking to change its entire downloadable content plan for Destiny. Instead of releasing paid expansions like The Dark Below and House of Wolves, says Kotaku, Activision and Bungie will deliver new quests and missions for free — likely in "big drops every few months until the fall of 2016," when a full sequel to Destiny will arrive for $59.99.

Activision has released three expansions for Destiny to date. The Dark Below and House of Wolves launched at $19.99 apiece and $34.99 together, while last month's The Taken King costs $39.99.