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This is because we feel we paid for something that expects nothing in return.
When you pay for a game that includes add ons and microtransactions, all of a sudden we‘re back to being a marketing target, and we implicitly know we‘re pushed to spend money.
We play games to escape the real world…
I think it is okay to have a dlc IF it is fairly priced, there is proper content included and the base wasn't gutted for it.
Positiv example would be Factorio. Negative example is Stellaris.
I feel like owlcat has done a good job with this in their games. They feel complete and if you like the game there are DLCs with decent amounts of extra content. Also really like that the DLCs are integrated into the game (usually) and not just an extra chunk tacked on
I feel like RimWorld has also done well with this
Agreed, Owlcat has always earned my money and then some, I think. Especially with the new rogue trader DLCs, which are all connected to the main story somehow and playable in a new playthrough.
I've been wanting to spend more money towards the development of Factorio. I've played around 1500 hours before the DLC and they have very limited merch. While I am usually sceptical towards DLC in general, it was a no-brainer in this case.
They should sell some more merch though.
Tend to agree about DLC - Some times the Devs have too many ideas - DLC is way to manage costs. But only if it expands the game
More than that. When you buy a game with microtransactions in it, you're volunteering to be a marketing target and paying for the privilege. Publishers aren't trying to get everyone to buy mtx, only the people who bought the game. You're giving them money and saying, "yes, I want to be targeted, please."
Complete games. They are called complete games.
Thing is, I've seen funbucks stuffed into various single player games over the years. The first was probably Mass Effect 3, but some of the Assassin's Creed games have it too.
But who are they for? Who buys them? They've never really felt like anything that would be useful. It's usually just some crappy cosmetics, or something you can get through normal play. It's like they've been stuffed in at the request of management, but also like nobody has ever checked up on what they actually put in, or whether anybody bought it...
Who buys them?
The type of monetisation that especially confuses me as a guy brought up on pre-internet era gaming is any kind of pay to win. You're buying a game then paying extra money so you don't have to then go through the tedious task of actually playing the game.
I too grew up gaming in the pre internet era, and I love pay to win. My favorite is when they just let me press A and the rest of the game just unfolds and plays itself while I watch.
I've had a few games come with a handful of items for some reason, and very quickly learned to never use them.
Pre order now and ruin the game!
The same thing has always confused me about CCGs. Why spend hundreds of dollars to be able to play them at all, when you can just get Dominion and know that the game is both fair and varied?
The game industry was assaulted by the MBAs long ago. They have this financial concept of leaving money on the table. That if you aren't skinning your customers alive for all they have then you are losing money.
Then there was that infamous power point slide that got leaked where, basically, the plan is to use games to bring in audiences then use gambling techniques to hook on whales then cash them for eternity. Thus "live services games" were born.
It feels like uncreative, predatory shit because it is. It's a finance people idea, not a creative game developer idea.
I think the last few years has left them struggling with the reality that landlords and supermarkets also have that concept, and when it's a choice between having a roof, food, or entertainment, then they're way down the list.
Who buys them?
Play Nice by Jason Schreier mentions that the "Pay to Win" style of monetization is very popular in Chinese markets.
I'd wager that, since other markets strongly oppose that, public companies focused on profits over player sentiment needed to find a middle ground. (That dichotomy is the main focus of the last half of the book)
We revolted when Battlefront 2 had loot boxes at the center of game progression, so companies hoping to make the most money in both markets need to make the purchasable items either purely cosmetic or only helpful in early game progression (starter packs).
He's right
I don't buy single player games with other monetization. You want another $30 you add another 30 hours of good content.
CDPR get this, at least. Phantom Liberty, Hearts of Stone, Blood and Wine. All well worth it.
Wish granted, but it's just 30 dlcs each around a full-game price and you gotta wait til they go on sale for $1 once every year at a random time.
So, I've got steam wishlist items going into the third grade this year. I can wait.
I wish you were less evil.
There’s a difference between a game made with passion and a game by EA/Ubisoft.
I love the game, but I'd like to point out that baldur's gate 3 does have a single microtransaction, it gives you a custom dice skin, a tie in item from divinity original sin and a bunch of low level potions. It costs 12CAD.
I will point out that this is mainly just a way to get the free preorder bonus though, and has no real gameplay effects. The dlc also contains a digital artbook, digital soundtrack and some character sheets. I feel like that is quite a bit more than the normal micro transactions, though I still somewhat see your point
Let's not forget about the two extra bard songs, which was the only reason I got it lol.
I started playing warframe recently. Yes it's free to play, yes there's monetization, but I feel it's one of those games you really don't need to buy anything for. you can pretty much obtain everything via grinding. I can see how that wouldn't appeal to a lot of people today but I used to play everquest and anarchy online etc so I know about the grind and I don't mind it.
The thing about Warframe is it tempts you but doesn't force you to buy. You can sell your time to people who paid actual money, and then buy things you want for that money. The only issue with Warframe is the fomo - them locking warframes behind relics that are "deprecated". Sometimes they unearth them again, but it's an artificial attempt at "I need to buy this or it is gone".
Also the process of getting parts is 100% gambling on low odds. You can get lucky immediately or have to "reroll" by running the same relic over and over and over again. It sucks if you want a very specific thing and often leads to people just buying it outright.
The community is very open about warframe.market existing though. Like an auction house for player trading across all servers. So if your relics drop bad items. Sell them on the market until you can eventually buy the one you want.
Other games do thinks like soulbound/account bound stuff. Not everything in WF is tradable, but most things are
Nice, now release Judas >:(
Yup I do not buy single player games that have monitizacion, indiana jones game was so far game of the year for me