Unusual For a Company Other Than Activision, That Is
A patent has just been approved for an Activision microtransaction system which comes across as somewhat more evil than microtransactions generally are just, already. This isn’t new information, to be sure. Activision and greed are such good buddies they could use the Monopoly Man as their next mascot. Maybe put him in some Guardian armour. This new thing is still pretty wild, though.
The patent in question details a system that would mismatch people in multiplayer games in order to encourage them to buy better stuff. You get annihilated by some child prodigy without a day job and suddenly the game is gently suggesting you spend a little cash on some sweet new gear. Maybe with some cooler stuff, that punk wouldn’t have won. Then, if you make the purchase, your next match-up will be changed to better augment the money you just spent. Brilliant, no?
Okay, so it’s smart, but it’s also ‘damsel tied to a set of train tracks’ evil. Activision has stated that this patented system is not currently in any of their games, but this is too deviant to stay out of rotation. You know damn well they’ll be implementing this by the next fiscal year at the latest. Gotta pump those numbers up, after all. You can try and read the details of said patent here. These Skinner Boxes are getting classy as hell, I must say.