The Damaging Impact of Microtransactions on Game Quality

In an interview with Fidelity from February 2022 Jim Ryan was very frank about how PlayStation plans to monetize their fans. He talks about the 10 live service games and how they will be leaning into strategies that Bungie implemented to make more than $69 billion from their Bungie purchase. The main concern I have about this PlayStation news today is that it will have an impact on their game design as it's the one thing I do not fault PlayStation for.

This Jim Ryan Interview has come out because of the Activision Blizzard Microsoft FTC investigation that leaked a ton of documents. The Jim Ryan PlayStation comments are all about the PlayStation Bungie purchase, and how PlayStation monetization will change. Likely this will mean more PlayStation microtransactions in all of their live service games and that has me a bit worried.

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[DestinL]

This short was auto-generated. Trying out a new tool to see if these do well.

[NoAh-wvrg]

No micro transactions in triple A. Free games, sure. Not triple A

[spartanxx]

It will work until it doesn't. Don't like them, don't spend the money on them. IF the customers stop spending money on them they will correct.

[janrdoh]

Gamers have created this problem by willingly participating in the model. If they never participated the model would have died.

[KingThrillgore]

Its the same thing with the price hike on streaming services, ad blocking on YouTube, ad prevalence on streaming services, and so on. The cost to use these services are increasing and the level of quality is decreasing. The juice isn't worth the squeeze, and the audience is noticing.

The games that are succeeding are the ones with a niche or a focus. Baldur's Gate 3, Pizza Tower, Starfield, Spider-man 2...they are either focused on an experience, have a smaller budget, or both. And are better products than Live Service games.

We're in a strange recession, people can't afford the increasing COL, and jobs are hard to come by (unemployment doesn't measure availability of work, it measures who's seeking unemployment assistance). This is a disaster of the media and gaming industry's own making.

[metaphyzxx]

The problem is, publishers have sold console gaming like a casino in your living room. Heck, they had it there for a little while. Gaming took the wrong turn when they changed the design from “get you to come back” to “get you to stay”

[Mark-MTZ]

You are 100 percent correct. Way back when map packs were the add ons, & the developers spent more time improving gameplay & & fixing the glitches.
COD is not going to go away.
It will just appeal to a younger more Juvenile demographic.
Those of us that remember the what the game was in 2007. Will just move on to something else.
Seriously how long before they make Captain Price up to look
Silly?

[whatif]

Whats next? having to pay for updates/bug fixes?

[richardwilliams]

No one's putting a gun to a player's head with microtransactions. There comes a time to accept personal responsibility with your own financial choices. If someone can't control themselves there are avenues for help.

[mitchjames]

Since micro transactions started to become a thing quality of games has gone down. I would say the last decade and more quality has been on a downward spiral.

[CHUCKVID]

This video hits home about the gaming market in general.

Back then, games sold on the premises of being good enough to play or not, now, I feel like every game just releases half assed and microtransactioned with a "We'll finish the rest in later" mindset. Now that I think about it, ever since the ability to patch games with additional content or knew they could just make money selling it on a DLC.

Sadly, I don't see it getting any better until people just start saying no, and letting the Gaming Industry crash like it did back in the day.

[themetalpig]

A business has a legal obligation to make more money for their shareholders year on year. So they will not stop. Don't expect them to suddenly grow a conscience. MT's are only going to get worse and the games will continue to be spliced apart and sold as seperate pieces. A games industry market crash is inevitable. And probably necessary.

[rafaelpozo]

Can't wait for gow3 or tlou3 with microT

[followertheleader]

You vote with your dollar. People who buy micro transactions are telling corporations that they want more. A lot of people need wallet discipline in order for quality to go back up. You can see this with japanese games. They have trouble pushing micro transactions because the player base is different.

[staycguy]

Games like Warzone that use micro transactions actually look amazing graphically amazing you can’t say that the quality will go down visually is keens look amazing Fortnite looks amazing. Overwatch is a nice looking game. All those games are actually nice quality games. But their shooters they are multiplayer they’re not last of us one or two big fat stories, so I think that your version of quality isn’t very specific. Warzone fortnight overwatch they are nice looking games if they weren’t very nice graphically gameplay gun design then you could say quality is going down. Quality won’t go down because if it does go down you know the production of a game then no one’s gonna play it such as Concorde.

[mustafab.]

Fortnite didt well and Roblox you need a good concept

[chaserseven]

and people are outraged at adding gay people in games

[westleystewart]

That is capitalism, indeed. Yet, the rise of microtransactions in video games starkly highlights the pitfalls of unchecked capitalism. Many who usually champion or remain indifferent to the free market find themselves outraged by these predatory practices. It's a compelling example that sometimes market intervention isn't about hindering capitalism, but about preserving fairness and genuine value for consumers.

[finchharper]

But the games industry has pushed capitalism to the extreme, where it is now imperialism. Generating profits from exploitation is imperialism!

[bobdylan]

Implying the quality of games has gone done is verifyfiable LIE lol. Look at the top games released in tbe last 20 years.