Microtransactions on Mobile or not at All?
Are microtransactions as big a problem as everyone says? or does the problem simply lie in its application? Square Enix has had a fantastic showing with NieR: Automata and Final Fantasy XV to say the least, but in a recent interview with CEO Yosuke Matsuda, he had this to say on the growing controversy over the inclusion of microtransactions in games:
“What people expect and want in a home console game is perhaps quite different from what people want in a mobile game,” said Matsuda. “The way that console games are made, the volume of content and how much effort goes into them, there’s something in that which doesn’t fit in the mind with microtransactions.”
Matsuda had stated earlier this year he believed video games were developing more into a service, and that players would find loyalty in a particular game through regular updates. Matusda feels that the model of microtransactions itself is not flawed, but rather it has no place in console gaming as the medium is different than that of mobile gaming; a system that reflects and banks on people’s on-the-go lifestyles in which most gamer’s don’t have the time or interest to sit down and grind through games on their phone, rather they would prefer to make small in-game purchases.
Microtransactions have been a hot topic for some time but have become most prominent recently with the controversy surrounding EA’s Loot Box model for Battlefront II. Square Enix is looking to continue its success from 2017’s releases on home console and mobile devices with new titles such as Project Octopath Traveler and Lost Sphear, to name a few.
Do you think its acceptable for microtransactions to have a place? or should they be removed entirely? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or the Comments section below.