Re: It's not just you... developers hate MTX too

On 19/08/2024 18:21, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

 DevCom is a developer conference in Germany where developers --largely
from the video-games industry-- can come together to discuss and learn
about various industry-wide issues. Although it's been around for
almost a decade, it's a fairly low-key event because it's a lot less
about marketing specific games, and more about the nitty-gritty
details of coding them. After all, it doesn't make for exciting
marketing copy to say "developers of 'Call of Battlefield 19' went to
talk about AI-assisted texture-upscaling". So DevCom doesn't get a lot
of press.
 Still, there's sometimes a few bangers that come out from the
conference.
 Like this year, when nearly 90% of respondents* answered that they
believe that video-games (more specifically, AAA games on console and
PCs) can survive just fine just from the revenue taken in from initial
sales, and that additional purchases (MTX, cosmetics, lootboxes,
whatever) aren't necessary. The vast majority also said they PREFERRED
that revenue model over any other one too.
 All the bullshit extra expenses aren't being pushed on end-consumers
because the developers think it's a good idea. They aren't building it
into their games because they think it makes them better, or offers
features that they otherwise couldn't provide. It's entirely something
the upper-levels are forcing upon them (and then down onto the
end-users) to milk the customers for every penny.
 Keep that in mind the next time some exec or marketing hack tells us
about how excited they are to offer us "live service" features because
they feel it will "add to the experience" and how things like MTX and
season passes are the only way to fund them. You know it's bullshit.
The guys actually making the games know it is bullshit. The old-school
"buy-to-play" model is perfectly viable, and the only reason companies
like EA, Activision and Ubisoft are pushing towards 'live service'
models is to grab ever more money for themselves.
 

Obviously we are never going to go back to the the likes of the 80's when the driving force beyond quite a few games is they were developed as the developer wanted to play that type of game. Nor would I say that you don't need people in businesses who actually understand how to run them beyond implementing games*.
Where it seems have gone wrong is instead of all groups having a level of control of the game experience it's the one whose only interest in games is how to make money from that gets to call all the shots.
Personally I'm not sure how it will change as regardless of how much 'moaning' gamers do about not liking MTX there's still a substantial number that keep it as not just viable but lucrative. Personally I doubt I'll ever play a live service game again due to my experience in the direction World of Tanks went and just generally what seems to be going on with them. To put it simply the games are driven too much by how to push MTX and not enough of will I enjoy playing it.
*Admittedly, having no talent in how to run a business often seems to be no bar to getting paid handsomely for doing just that.