I called it.

The first problems with microtransactions have begun to surface. Gaming juggernaut EA has released an Xbox 360 version of their Godfather game at full price in addition to selling numerous extra features on Xbox Live Marketplace. The problem: the features they are selling via microtransactions are features that are part of the game on other consoles. Meaning that EA pulled out features of their game in order to turn a bigger profit.

http://www.aeropause.com/archives/2006/10/major_nelson_it.php

And I quote myself, Monday, July 3rd, 2006 (http://www.egameaddiction.com/gameaddicts/content/view/186/2/):

The possibility for the developer to exploit the consumer by adding extras to a game after it has be purchased is gi-normous, mas-mongous, col-gantuan, or in simpler (existing) terms, a lot larger than one might suspect. While extra maps and extra characters would be a welcome idea to extend your favorite game's already impressive grip on your free time, it could very well be that developers will instead hold back key features, for future "microtransactions," that would otherwise be in the original game.

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There is also some news about Gran Turismo 5 forcing you to buy extra courses and cars via microtransactions. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/735/735036p1.html

Yamauchi also explained some of the reasoning behind making car damage and advanced opponent AI available as downloads rather than a built-in feature... it's best to start service on something, no matter how small, and build it up with players.

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In other words, Yamauchi thinks it's better to sell a shell of a game, and have the players buy additional content like "car damage and advanced opponent AI" which is apparently optional. IGN editor Anoop Gantayat states at the end of the interview: "If it means getting the next Gran Turismo title in a little over two months, you won't find us complaining." So allow me to quote myself again:

Pushed back released dates may become a thing of the past with microtransactions, because developers would literally have the ability to sell half the game now, and the other half of the game sometime in the future. But each "half" might end up costing 75% the price of a regular full game.

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All I'm really trying to say is, I called it. Remember, you heard it first at the Toilet Bowl.  :lol

This fallls under the "if you don't like it don't buy it" catergory. Lumines Live did it as well. It isn't very cool to do it, but IF YOU DO NOT PAY FOR THE EXTRA CONTENT, THEY WILL STOP DOING IT IN TIME.

That is what we, the consumers can do about it.

Well...you have to realize, that's EA we're talking about. And what is EA best known for? Milking money.

When Square Enix, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Namco Bandai, and some of the other companies start putting incomplete games on the shelf just so they can sell the rest in a microtransaction, then I'll be worried.

Mai Valentine said:

Well...you have to realize, that's EA we're talking about. And what is EA best known for? Milking money.

When Square Enix, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Namco Bandai, and some of the other companies start putting incomplete games on the shelf just so they can sell the rest in a microtransaction, then I'll be worried.

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Yup. EA is the worst company...ever. Except maybe Sony

yep I read your article on it stealth, you sure did call it

Mai Valentine said:

Well...you have to realize, that's EA we're talking about. And what is EA best known for? Milking money.

When Square Enix, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Namco Bandai, and some of the other companies start putting incomplete games on the shelf just so they can sell the rest in a microtransaction, then I'll be worried.

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EA's adherence to evil is well documented and not in question here, BUT keep in mind they are currently looking to acquire Ubisoft, and they're not the type of company to take no for answer. Also keep in mind that Q entertainment's Lumines (which, as Spartan touched on) was also trying to cash in on the microtransaction feature of the Xbox 360 Marketplace, and Ubisoft is their publisher. So you could say that Ubisoft has in fact put an incomplete game on the market.

Polyphony Digital has also had an excellent track record of pushing tons of content into one game with their previous GT titles, so this is a step out of character for them.

Nintendo, in my estimation, is committing daylight robbery with the prices of their virtual console games. I know there are those who disagree with me on that topic, but if there is one thing we can all agree on it's that Nintendo is concerned with profit first and foremost, and microtransactions may prove to be a great way of amassing giant heaps of wealth. If the microtransaction ship floats, they will be the first to board it.

This is not just an EA thing, although their example is the most blatant so far. As my article points out Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft are all putting a lot of money and time into their online distribution networks. It is very probable that they are going to try and turn a profit out of those networks, and with no service charges at all for two of those networks, that money has got to come from somewhere.

These are the first problems with microtransactions, I agree, but I would be very, very surprised if they were the last.

in your original post above for this thread, you should link up your article at the Game Addicts: VGR.

†B†V† :hat

stealth toilet said:

Nintendo, in my estimation, is committing daylight robbery with the prices of their virtual console games. I know there are those who disagree with me on that topic, but if there is one thing we can all agree on it's that Nintendo is concerned with profit first and foremost, and microtransactions may prove to be a great way of amassing giant heaps of wealth. If the microtransaction ship floats, they will be the first to board it.

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Yeah, but don't you think there's a difference there? With the VC Nintendo is charging for games that are complete. Not half-finished games that you will need to buy patches for later on.

At any rate, I have to agree with SpartanEvolved on this one.

This falls under the "if you don't like it don't buy it" category.

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Yeah, this was a hot topic when Oblivions DLC came out. Many complained of the prices for horse armor, and they, myself included, never bought it. As a result of the consumer backlash, the future DLC prices went down.

Simply put, if we can make them think the microtransactions are a waste of time and hence money, they will stop.