So Are "AAA" Loot Boxes Done? (The Jimquisition)
In 2017, the "AAA" game industry went all-in on loot boxes - microtransactions that emulate gambling to maximize ill-gotten gains.
In 2018, new games aren't using them and old games are scrubbing them. Are they done in the mainstream business, or are companies just biding their time?
Comments (10)
I remember looking at the constant Battlefront II (EA) sales over Xmas on PS4 and wondering how low they were willing to go to get the sales that could make them come out and say "See! People love being treated like sheep ready to be sheared!" So glad the blow back is making traction
Excellent Intro
"I didn't expect EA to get so greedy so quickly." Really? Really!??
Let's be honest, the level of their hubris was unprecedented.
Hey Jim, what do you think of this: <a href="http://gameideas.wikia.com/wiki/Tom_Clancy's_The_Division_of_Overwatch" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://gameideas.wikia.com/wiki/Tom_Clancy's_The_Division_of_Overwatch</a>
That idea of pushing things to breaking point, then pulling back is one I saw mentioned in Ross Scott's DGN. It's a pity the wider audiences that play games can't just collectively agree to just lower their tolerance to bad behaviour. But that would be really tricky because then you're getting into boycott territory, and that's not fun when the whole point of playing games is to have fun. It's good to see push-back when it goes really too far though.
Watching the intro made me worry about your sanity Jim... Then I remembered that you are Jim fucking-Sterling-son, and it put my mind at ease. Cheers and thank god for you.
Sports games will keep them. Simply because, like mobile games, the target demographic is mostly casual players who dont mind pay2win mechanics.
Maybe, but it seems more like pay to not win.
Keep a sharp eye out for when NBA 2K19 releases. I'm curious if 2k Sports will learn this lesson or not.