Source: https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/13/17230874/ea-star-wars-battlefront-2-loot-box-patrick-soderlund-interview Electronic Arts has promised to learn lessons and not repeat mistakes after the Star Wars Battlefront II fiasco. If that sounds familiar, it’s because EA promises this after EVERY fiasco.
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?
After months and months and months on the market, Monolith Productions claims it’s just started to realize the loot boxes MIGHT be undermining the gameplay. Of course, loads of people were saying this even before launch. I said it often, loudly, repetitively. I’m shocked less about the removal of the…
EA DICE has announced that paid loot boxes are being relegated to in-game rewards while more traditional microtransactions replace them. This is in spite of EA claiming they couldn’t do it this way because of Star Wars canon.
Source article: https://www.polygon.com/2018/2/27/17057978/esrb-loot-crate-box-in-game-purchases-label The ESRB, paying lip service to the controversy surrounding loot boxes, is going to apply an incredibly broad “in-game purchases” label to games that offer additional content for cash. So… that’ll be most of them, right?
Once again the “AAA” industry thinks it has a golden goose, and once again it’s primed to bang that goose until the eggs come out filled with nothing but decaying spunk.
Cards Unbound has not proven popular among the Paladins fanbase. They protested it the only way they know how – terrible artwork! Thanks to Seth for the tip!
A US Senator has urged the ESRB and ESA to look at the potential harm loot boxes pose to vulnerable customers. The industry’s guard dogs, however, continue to do nothing even as politicians close in. Doing nothing is not going to help the industry, not when there are politicians who…
Sea of Thieves won’t have loot boxes, it’ll “only” have microtransactions. Seeing people applaud that feels a little… off. Source article: https://www.pcgamesn.com/sea-of-thieves/sea-of-thieves-pets-microtransactions Music: Undertale
On Monday morning I said publishers were going to embrace “live services” as their new flavor in 2018. That afternoon, Ubisoft told its investors how “live services” are their new flavor in 2018. In fact, they seem disinterested in games entirely… at least as we know them. Like clockwork, folks….
There is a constant problem plaguing the game industry, if its spokespeople are to be believed. Games cost $60, and that price doesn’t work anymore! Weirdly enough, The Jimquisition agrees with this assessment. “AAA” games should indeed not cost $60 anymore, and they most certainly have outgrown it.
In Sweden, loot boxes are starting to get mainstream – and political – attention. Will it lead anywhere? Who knows? Anything that keeps the pressure on the publishers, however, is good news.
