EA Asserts Customers Enjoy Microtransactions

[The Artificially Prolonged]

If EA keeps up this strategy I would not be surprised if EA games end up costing more than systems that run them.

Whatever happened to EA saying games prices should come down? *looks at EA stock* oh...right thats why.

 

[Jodan]

Enjoy Microtransactions? nope, no I don't, not at all.

 

[LostintheWick]

I would like to meet these people who like EA's way of handling micro-transactions. I don't think they are real... or educated. I would like to educate them.

 

[Erttheking]

Oh for god's sake EA, just grow a twirly mustache already.

 

[Phlakes]

ITT: People angry about something that'll never affect them if they don't choose to use it.

They weren't a big deal in Dead Space 3 (at least not to the people who weren't trying to make them a big deal), but hey, it's EA trying to make money, so fuck them I guess.

*sigh.

 

[tehwalrus]

And that is why we fail. All it would've taken to put an end to this shit is enough people NOT buying into those microtransactions, but apparently not enough people had the will power to do so.

Like someone said earlier, EA is most like making 90% of the micro-transaction money from 10% of the people playing their games. Odds are high that 10% is fulled with people who don't give a kitten, whether it's kids with parents buying their games, rich people or 'casuals' who just want whatever it is they want now and don't know the first thing about the industry, let alone think about how buying materials for Isaac's new gun might influence future games.

 

[Slash2x]

Yeah we LOVE microtransactions..... On games that are free... or $20 on release..... NOT $70 FOR THE FUCKING COLLECTORS STILL MISSING SHIT EDITION!

 

[TheMadJack]

EA asserts they know what they're doing.

Gamers hilarity ensues.

As usual EA shows how much they don't understand reality. Wait what? REALITY? That's not in their vocabulary. They live in a make-believe world.

 

[loa]

ITT: People angry about something that'll never affect them if they don't choose to use it.

They weren't a big deal in Dead Space 3 (at least not to the people who weren't trying to make them a big deal), but hey, it's EA trying to make money, so fuck them I guess.

*sigh.

So you don't see how business directly affecting game balance can affect the whole game experience even if you "don't choose to use it"?

 

[Canadamus Prime]

And that is why we fail. All it would've taken to put an end to this shit is enough people NOT buying into those microtransactions, but apparently not enough people had the will power to do so.

Like someone said earlier, EA is most like making 90% of the micro-transaction money from 10% of the people playing their games. Odds are high that 10% is fulled with people who don't give a kitten, whether it's kids with parents buying their games, rich people or 'casuals' who just want whatever it is they want now and don't know the first thing about the industry, let alone think about how buying materials for Isaac's new gun might influence future games.

Yeah I suppose that's probably true too. All EA is probably seeing are the numbers in their bank account.

 

[Machine Man 1992]

Oh for fucks sake. Will Anonymous just hurry up and hack these assholes into oblivion already? At this rate, you'll have to pay for the entire game piece meal, on top of the $60 entrance fee.

I'm seriously considering ditching gaming for good and, I dunno, taking up machreme, or knitting or something.

 

[Slash2x]

what...I......what.....WHY?
oh god why?
how does that monster BREATHE (or EA executives, for that matter)?
why is it still alive?
oh god the crash cannot come soon enough...

How much does a solid kick to the testicles cost these days? Assuming I'm a UK taxpayer.

I'd like to know that as well.
Are there multiple versions that are differently taxed, depending on speed and angle?
will they be within an affordable price range, at least some of them?
I guess it's time for a field study, this question must not be left unanswered.

See now you are getting in to the pricey ones. The transcontinental kick is going to be a pretty penny with the conversion and the agency fees to hire the third party for the actual kick.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

ITT: People angry about something that'll never affect them if they don't choose to use it.

They weren't a big deal in Dead Space 3 (at least not to the people who weren't trying to make them a big deal), but hey, it's EA trying to make money, so fuck them I guess.

*sigh.

As a completionist, and hearing that EA is putting this crap into single player parts of games for gods know what reason, it's only a matter of time before the only way you can experience everything in a game you paid for is to pay for even more.

 

[Uber Waddles]

Says who? I haven't met a gamer who has used any of EA's Micro transactions - none of the Mass Effect crap, none of the Dead Space crap, and none of the IOS business.

If by "people" you mean "Upper class 12 year olds who's parents don't know what ESRB ratings mean with access to their parents Credit Card", I can see that. Other than that, no.

This has been said 100,000,000 times by people who have more sway than me. But you can't expect to milk a transaction system built on free to play titles if you require us to pay for admission. ESPECIALLY if you're not using Microtransactions to OFFPUT the cost of admission.

I'd be more inclined to agree with you if you were releasing new games at $30 with microtransactions. Because I can see that as a viable, less risky business model. But I refuse to pay for crap when I'm already paying full price. Thats like paying for admission to an amusement park THEN paying for tickets to ride the rides.

Its one or the other. I'd be willing to meet you half way with microtransactions (in terms of my analogy, I'd be willing to pay for parking), but you can't expect to shovel us with shit then say "No, really, you guys don't mind."

Because the vast majority of us that work for our money do

 

[GodzillaGuy92]

For those of you who like microtransactions, this is, of course, good news.

I'm sincerely hoping that this is a politically correct way of saying, "This is bad news for everyone."

As someone else has already pointed out, "voting with your wallet" can't beat microtransactions because unlike, say, choosing not to buy a game or piece of DLC that cost the developer lots of money to create, microtransactions are implemented basically without cost to the publisher, and because there will always be people stupid enough to buy into this crap, the publisher has no incentive to stop utilizing microtransactions unless people get upset enough about it that they refuse to buy the game itself in the first place. Which is gonna be tough to pull off if EA shoves them into every single game they release, since they've got a tight enough hold on the gaming industry that they still possess many IPs that people care about enough about to buy regardless of EA's business practices.

On the (potentially) plus side, we all know where this is going; like Ungoliant growing so gluttonous that she eventually devours herself, EA's own greed will drive them to design their games around forcing the player to use the microtransaction system simply for the game to be functional. With microtransactions no longer truly optional, and the game outright unplayable by the sizable number of people who don't play online, hopefully the wallet-based outcry will reach the point that EA will finally either be made to wake up and stop this nonsense or, failing that, be driven out of business altogether (followed shortly by the Easter Bunny descending to the earth on a pegasus-drawn sky chariot and turning the world's oceans into grape Kool-Aid with a wave of his magic scepter).

 

[Matthi205]

In a way, this is good news. For anybody who'll start to study game desgin in a few years, anyway (by then the industry will have recovered).

But for now, this is a very stupid thing to do, because they're alienating all of their customers.

It's also yet another justification for people to pirate EA games, and at this point I can only say: the company deserves it.

 

[Sol_HSA]

I stopped buying EA games when they required origin. That means, no ME3 for me, and I'm a rather big fan of mass effect, having bought the books etc..

This news bit of microtransactions being a standard feature from now on pretty much just enforced my decision.

 

[Akexi]

So every game published by EA will not only have a required multiplayer component, but also try to sell you something on top of the initial price. All I have tho think is John Ravioli in his office saying, "your move, Kotick."

 

[Quadocky]

I really really dislike Micro-transactions. Though I am the same person who does not even buy games on Steam even if they are like a dollar, if I don't want it, I don't want it.

But why I really really dislike Micro-transactions is that its not a good value, at all, in any case no matter what. I'd rather spend my money on overpriced soda at a comic book store than pay a 2 dollar microtransaction.

And on top of this 60 Dollars is a very hefty price in my point of view. I would ONLY spend that much IF I really really really wanted it and KNEW exactly what I was getting into. Serious Sam 3 for example, I knew what the heck this was, I knew it was going to be great, so I paid the highest price and all that for it (which was more like 50 Dollars Haha).

Of course this is all my point of view. 60 Dollars is completely unrealistic to me when most AAA games can't even guarantee quality. AND on top of this the obnoxious DLC that makes your game feel incomplete which usually runs around 20 dollars more per pack which may or may not add content that is WORTH 20 dollars.

Something has got to change because obviously the Consumer is not buying into micro-transactions given the gradual fall of Free to Play (which paying into doesn't guarantee new content mind you, Champions Online being a relevant example).

The only Free to Play System I actually WOULD buy into is the one set up by Valve and Dota 2. Cosmetic Items Enhance the entertainment by quite a degree, they are a good value, especially in Dota 2 since they are actually Priced properly.

MOST OF ALL: Micro-transactions are not fun. Which goes against the very nature of video games.

 

[Weaver]

Well, I guess I'm done with gaming.