Founder of Bethesda Says Its Possible the Price of Games Will Increase
The founder of Bethesda, Christopher Weaver, knows what it takes to make it in the industry. For over 30 years the company has been known for developing some fantastic franchises, including a few of this years big hits like The Evil Within 2 and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. So what does he think about the pay-to-play model of gaming?
In a recent interview with Glixel, Weaver tackled the loot box controversy head on. When asked how developers should make money off of their video games following the ever growing controversy over loot boxes, Weaver stated that the wrong approach to take was to offer premium content for free. “I’m not a big fan of people believing that you get something for nothing. If you want to try something like a single chapter first or subscribe, I’m ok with that.”
So while it sounds like he is a supporter of the paid DLC model of business, Weaver warned that players will continue to rebel against the unpopular strategy of microtransactions. “This nickel and dime approach to payment may well backfire as it interferes with the flow of a game and disallows for players to lose themselves in its play-world.”
Don’t worry, Weaver wasn’t ready to criticize the industry without having a solution in hand either. He believes that the best solution may be to simply pay more for new games up front, rather than dealing with hidden costs. “Players may have to absorb the increasing costs of creating AAA games to allow publishers to remain profitable.”
This doesn’t mean that Bethesda will be following the same business model however, as the company is still devoted to single player games, as well as MMO titles like Quake Champions and The Elder Scrolls Online.
Is Weaver right about the possibility of increased game prices? It’s likely that may just be the case, but what do you think? Let us know in the comments below and keep it locked for updates!