Microtransactions Aren't Stopping Big Games From Selling Well, Says NPD

The thing is with Destiny 2, is that the Loot boxes are cosmetic only and you can earn the rewards in game relatively easy and quickly. There is no need to invest extra - well not at this point in time but who knows.

So far, I have not been put off from buying a game that has these. The core game itself has been enough of a draw for me and the loot box system just an optional system that feels nothing more than a cash grab for those who have more money than sense. They haven't really impacted on the core game. I don't see why I should lose out on the core game just because I don't agree with the loot box implementation.

I have pre-ordered a number of games that I know will have loot boxes. The next 3 I am getting, ACOrigins, CoD:WW2, SW:BF2, all will have loot boxes and I have no intention to cancel my pre-order. It has though affected my decision to pre-order games in 2018+ and I am more likely to wait until the price significantly drops as a way to hit back.

It may not be as 'big' as boycotting the game completely but as someone who often supports the devs by buying New and at/close to release, buying the game later, and when heavily discounted, I still get to play the core game but not supporting the devs/publishers so much. I don't see why I should limit my fun by boycotting ALL games with Loot boxes and go without, so the only course of action is to buy 'cheap' or 2nd hand - things that will hit the profits, the launch window sales etc. I know 1 person isn't going to make a difference. I hope that more and more would either 'boycott' or at least refuse to buy in the Launch window, as well as refuse to buy any loot boxes, then the gaming community as a whole can make their voice heard.

I don't buy that many DLCs and I've played quite a few games with micro transactions but Warframe is the only game that I've thought about spending money on to buy some in-game gears and frames. That being said, I'm still playing the game with a "It's free if I want it to be" mentality. lol

well as the NPD only ever looks at the numbers of North America i find anything they say incredibly skewed anyway and take no notce

tell me how it impacts world wide sales then i might take notice

America isn't the be all and end all of the planet you know, the world does exist outside it's borders

There has to be a big difference between the majority of those gamers who express their opinion via social media and those gamers who rarely use these platforms to vent.

If you look at Activision and their massive profits, there is a huge increase in micro-transaction sales over the past few years. Activision are 'public' about the amount of Profit they made from this aspect and is no surprise that other companies, like EA want a slice of that pie too. Its not surprising that Companies want to maximise profits with minimal investment. If you can make a £100 from a £1 investment, you too would do it - Its much better than investing £95 to earn £100.

I don't know how many people read PushSquare, let alone regularly comment but I bet it isn't anywhere near the number of PS gamers. I know it has a multi-national readership but even if we looked at the UK PS userbase and compared that to the number of gamers that regularly voice their opinions, the number would be vastly different.

If 10% of the gamers refuse to buy games with micro-transaction loot boxes, When you consider that a lot of games on a specific system are not owned by 10% of the users (that would mean a game would need to sell over 6m on PS4 and assuming 10% of those refuse to buy the game, that's 600k lost sales but if you make £100 per £1 investment on micro-transactions, that won't affect the profit margin of that game. These loot boxes are low risk, big reward for companies. Even if a game doesn't sell enough to cover development costs, the big profit margin of loot boxes can easily make up the deficit. If only 10% refuse to buy Loot boxes, that may mean they only get £90 per £1 instead but that's still a bigger profit margin than the core game is.

The only way to ensure they 'disappear' is to refuse to buy any! Also by not buying the game at launch (or during the first month or two), you send a big message to the devs/publishers. Buying the game 'cheap' or 2nd hand also reduces their profit margins on the game but also doesn't impact on your gaming - you still get to play the 'core' game. Regardless though, Companies will always try to find ways of maximising profits with minimal effort. I have no doubt that publishers 'could' invest more in games but the more they invest, the more they need to sell and the bigger risk.

However, unless you can reach ALL gamers, have a unified commitment to combat Loot Boxes, then they are likely to remain.

Cosmetic items which is basically everything in destiny anyway are irrelevant, especially when you can buy it all with in game earned currency.

@get2sammyb I also feel like a large majority of the people who complain about things like microtransactions and season passes still buy them

Its true a few gamers do not like them but they are by far the minority. Most do not care.

@dryrain teh interwebs = vocal minority (negative)

I know it does not help but i cancelled the starwars preorder and im waiting for a complete edition shadow of war i found the shadow of mordor kinda boring later in the game anyway.

That's why I don't take these "Gamers" seriously, because they Scream, and yet the same people keep buying these games, Gaming is ruined thanks to the so called Gamers, And I know Activision, EA, Ubisoft (the Only company that "Gamers" know) have all the right to continue making Full priced games with microtransaction, because It is cool Screaming, but at the end of the day You all keep buying their games.

Remember it is YOUR fault

It only takes one whale to ruin the combined boycotting efforts of the enthusiasts. And then some.

@get2sammyb 80/20/5. You should always keep this in mind when you complain online. http://askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/149466049419/80-20-5

Well, just because the rest of the gaming world spends their money on these, doesn’t mean I will. I plan for most any game with microtransactions to be a used purchase by me. And the good quality single player games will be day 1 / preorder purchases by me.
All a person can do is vote with their own wallets.
... well, that and post vitriol online to make him feel better. Thank goodness for the never-ending group therapy session that is Push Square.

@get2sammyb well, this site is something I consider essential reading for any game blogger/youtuber/journo. And must read for any gamer wanting to know the intricacies of game development. 80% of a games population never looks or engages beyond the game itself, 20% of a games population will ever bother to read or watch anything about the game, and only 5% of any games population will ever bother to actually make a post online. All the rage is from only 5% of the player base at most, and even of those 5% that do, they are split. So when you and everyone else wonders why devs keep making DLC content, its because gamers buy it, and those complaining only make up at most 5%

@get2sammyb @Principledgamer
Yeah, that was fuzzy math but after reading the article it makes sense. Well, according to the article, the 5% who comment online are a subset of the 20% who read about the game online, so it adds up to 100% (80+20) with 15 % just reading about the game online but 5% read and post comments.

But this article is a perfect example of the established fact that 62.58% of statistics are made up on the spot. It’s true.

@BAMozzy there is a huge difference, approximately 80/20/5 to be exact. read this http://askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/149466049419/80-20-5

@get2sammyb the 5% is a subset of the 20%

80/20/5 is completely irrelevant, its just an average stat for all games, from indie to mobile to triple a, single player, multiplayer, online only, social, non social, various genres sub genres, mmo rpg/walking sim etc. 80/20/5 meaningless.