It’s definitely not pay to win because you can unlock all the gear you want, if you don’t know how to use it you won’t be winning much. Ironically, it’s those who grind for the unlocks that develop the skills needed to win consistently. Therefore in my mind it’s Play to Win and the transactional elements are just a side hustle to capitalise on those who like to spend money rather than develop skill.
I think a better term would be pay to progress. However, it still is quite close to being pay to win, just not competitively in the direct sense.
It’s definitely not pay to win because you can unlock all the gear you want, if you don’t know how to use it you won’t be winning much. Ironically, it’s those who grind for the unlocks that develop the skills needed to win consistently. Therefore in my mind it’s Play to Win and the transactional elements are just a side hustle to capitalise on those who like to spend money rather than develop skill.
edit: spelling