Microtransactions: The largest exciters of gaming

Microtransactions have become a firm part of the gaming industry in the last 15 years. Nevertheless, Loot boxen, NFTs and Co. always provide scandals. We show you the biggest exciters in the history of microtransactions.

The uproar by Ubisoft's NFT offensive is the preliminary highlight of a dysfunctional 15-year relationship between the gaming industry and microtransactions. The Publisher started in December 2021 to offer digital in game content in limited edition in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint — in the form of a helmet, a storm rifle and a pair of pants on which tiny serial numbers were engraved. With the step Ubisoft wrote a new chapter in a continuous story full of gambling, money and broken promises.

In our video at the end of the article, we give you an overview of the the biggest exciters of the history of microtransactions.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Bethesda makes the inglorious beginning

Everything started in 2006 with a horse: In The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion were able to buy players for the first time in a triple-a game later for $1.99 — a horse framing apart from the optics had no influence on the gaming experience.

So the first mainstream DLC was purely cosmetic nature, but he was still not popular. Players pouf the relatively high price for the content, but Bethesda reacted with a shrug: LCS are purely optional offers. No player is forced to spend real money for In game items. An argument that Publisher still repeat prayer-like, and that usually does not really correspond to the truth.

Microtransactions: Mineralization at any price

Since the horseman of Oblivion, microtransactions have established themselves in the industry — almost always against the will of the players, but always pushed through Publishers with the reference to the nationality. In fact, microtransactions like a Pokémon have long since developed into various different forms with an out-of-control gen-pool.

They are no longer just cosmetic nature. In addition to outfits and skins, weapons, characters and useful in game items can also be purchased. Season Passes tie players for several months to a game and with XP boosters can be made perfectly hard grinds.

In addition, valuable hours of waiting, valuable hours of waiting can be shortened by a fingertip to seconds in countless mobile games. Thus, many microtransactions are de facto as pay-to-win or even as pay-to-play concepts — by Assassin's Creed to Candy Crush and Overwatch to Star Wars Battlefront 2.

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With Loot boxes, there are many of these (SO) advantages mentioned in addition In the form of mostly opaque gambling mechanics — players are brought with little subtle calls and game design decisions for money, without knowing what they will get for it. A practice that has turned out to be so controversial that it was explained illegally in several countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium.

FIFA, Evolve and Co.: The biggest excitement of video game history

Microtransactions have become a kind of bundled wool milk SAU for propitious publishers and cthulhu-like monsters for the rest of the industry. They are the answer to the simple question of how companies such as EA, Ubisoft or Activision can get the financial maximum from a game and thus almost ubiquitous.

With NFTs, the next big evolutionary level of the unloved feature is imminent. Reason enough to look back and in the above-mounted video to visit the biggest exciters of the moving history of microtransactions. Who would have thought that a horse powers could do so much chaos?

Ubisoft's NFT offensive could make a new kind of microtransactions with salonable. In our video we look back on the biggest scandals of the history of microtransactions. From Activision to EA and Ubisoft — the biggest publishers have so far made the biggest exciters.