The Future of Microtransactions

[GranTurNismo]

As many of us have remarked upon, GT7 has microtransactions- the ability to buy in-game credits with real money. And given the sharp increase in price since GT6, calling them "microtransactions" at this point is honestly a farce- they're more like "macrotransactions", or just transactions. GT7 is far from the only mainline, full-price console game to not only feature microtransactions, but subtly lures its playerbase into buying them, especially using psychological tactics like FOMO. Although there may be a select few whales who enjoy the ability to buy rare cars with microtransactions and are happy to do so repeatedly, it seems that the vast majority of the playerbase is outraged by them, for not only creating an expectation that we have to pay even more than just the game price in order to have a "complete" game experience, but also due to the in-game economy and logistics seemingly centered around the players expending real cash.

The question I have is this. Although it is clear that the vast majority of gamers- who are not whales of course- dislike microtransactions and want them removed from mainline console games altogether, it is not clear how Sony and game developers will actually respond to this. Will microtransactions eventually go away after a certain period of time due to player backlash, and is this temporary era in gaming just an unfortunate one for being plagued by microtransactions? Or, are they a necessary evil that will stay around for good, and gamers should have the expectation of buying at least some microtransactions in order to have a more complete game experience? It is also important to note that the base price of most console games have not really increased, so it is a possibility that to some extent, developers are relying on players to buy microtransactions in order to "break even". And, if enough whales buy microtransactions to make developers a meaningful profit, and enough fans continue to buy games with microtransactions anyway, despite not liking them, is there really any incentive for developers to phase out microtransactions altogether?

I look forward to hearing the community's thoughts on this.

 

[Ameer67]

Is this a GT7 question or a gaming industry in general question?

 

[GranTurNismo]

Is this a GT7 question or a gaming industry in general question?

Could apply be both

 

[MrNukki]

They are here to stay now, and will stay for good, despite the backlash. Sony probably wanted it, Polyphony probably did too, it is what it is. I get that video games are expensive to make, especially in this day and age, but I'm sure there's a better way to recoup losses than this.

As much as it pains me to say it, at least GT Sport DLC cars were largely inexpensive, and could be obtained with some grinding (if you didn't want to fork over the money), mostly a not strenuous one. I would be okay with that type of monetization, really.

After nerfing payouts and trying to coerce us into giving into Polyphony's bad business model, this does not bode well for the future of GT7, or the series as a whole, unless Kaz and the gang seriously reconsider and go back to the drawing board, at least with regards to the MTXs. I choose to remain optimistic and hope that this gets changed in some way, but only barely.

 

[Akwaaba]

They are here to stay.
I've seen articles that suggest more than 30 billion USD was spent on microtransactions in one year. There are a few players who will pay (what to everyone else) seems like an insane amount of money.

But, think of it like this. To a multimillionaire, 200 USD to them is like 2 USD to the rest of us. Then, to them, the LCD dealership makes sense. To the rest of us, we have to play the game a different way.

 

[SPURS3420]

The big difference between GT7 and other full-price AAA games with predatory microtransactions like NBA 2K or FIFA is that the microtransactions permeate every aspect of GT7.

If I don't want to play the microtransaction-driven modes of 2K (MyTeam) or FIFA (Ultimate Team), they still offer exhibition games, franchise/season modes, and career modes where microtransactions are virtually non-existent and teams/players are massively customizable. You still have the choice to still "play basketball" or "play football" through means outside of the MTX economy. The ability to "opt-out" of the MTX-reliant game modes gives players of these games freedom and thus they are less likely to feel "forced" to buy MTX or grind.

If you want to play GT7 while avoiding the microtransaction-fueled game economy, you're limited to 5 Music Rally races. That's it. All content in this game points you to MTX, while that isn't the case for many major titles with MTX-centered game modes. You can't "go racing" in GT7 without engaging in a skewed game economy, and that's a massive failure on the part of PD/Sony.

 

[ToyGTone]

Unless maybe the entire gaming industry suffers a massive crash, Micro Transactions is here to stay.

Loot boxes, MTXs, gambling, FOMO, battle passes, games as a service and whatever are increasingly becoming the norm rather than the exception. Actually, what the hell I'm saying? It's been like this since at least 2012-2013 with mobile games, GTA Online, Mass Effect 3 and Team Fortress 2.

I honestly disagree with the whole "it's to recoup the loses" argument. While game development might have gotten more expensive in general, I'm pretty sure that a lot of companies still make tons of money from just selling the actual games themselves. It's just pure, honest-as-god, greed at this point.

Some games might get rid of MTX like what happened to Forza from FM7 onwards (thank god) but i doubt it's going to go away anytime soon.

 

[Silverfox1984]

I had no opinion for or against them being in GT Sport as I never utilised them or paid for a car and felt I could enjoy that game without them being a factor. I'm against the future of games being pushed towards a pay-2-win style gaming element, where buying MTX's becomes the main focus of the games progression and all aspects of in-game progression are rendered irrelevant or frustrating.