ea EA will be building microtransactions into all of its upcoming games

[PGHammer]

Are you kidding me? Sim City is their golden child of microtransactions. Oh look, a new building type, only $1! Godzilla attacks for $1.99? OK!

Actually, browser-based gaming is the golden-child of MTs (it all STARTED there). And what was EA's last significant acquisition? PopCap Games.

Browser-based gaming and mobile gaming are the driver forces behind MTs entirely BECAUSE you don't use a traditional model for either.

As both browser-based and mobile gaming become more important, expect more MTs (and not just with the EA games).

[.Neo]

See those Simoleons in SimCity? It's actually the balance of your personal bank account. Every time you want to build something in your city money is withdrawn.

[spaceelf]

Pay to win is disgusting. If BF4 has micro-transactions I'm done with EA.

BF3 does, in a way. You can jump start your unlocks if you want to for multiplayer...I mean really they've been doing it for some time. With Sims 3 they were mostly packaged as separate expansions (unless you're a fanatic and really need everything off the store, I only picked up a few things) instead, but I doubt this will continue to be the case.

[trag3dy]

BF3 does, in a way. You can jump start your unlocks if you want to for multiplayer...I mean really they've been doing it for some time. With Sims 3 they were mostly packaged as separate expansions (unless you're a fanatic and really need everything off the store, I only picked up a few things) instead, but I doubt this will continue to be the case.

The thing is with BF3 it doesn't matter if some one bought the unlocks. If you couldn't see their rank you'd never know if they paid for them or not. It's transparent and doesn't affect game play in the slightest.

I get the impression that won't continue to be the trend though. As for Battlefield 4, I can't say I care to much at this point. First person shooters have gotten stale for me lately. Outside of Far Cry 3 pretty much every single recent fps game has been a total bore.

I hope this decision comes back to bight EA though.

[Razorwing]

Yeah.. this is not going to end well. The only way of doing it is you don't support EA at all or just not to buy any micro transactions . I seriously don't think they will do a pay-to-win kind of deal. If they do, that's just robbery.

[Lexcyn]

This is not the way of the future no matter if EA says consumers want this ... because we don't. We want to buy a game to play and not to have to buy crap just to beat it.

Sick of EA and what they do to games. I try not to buy games from them anymore but it's hard when they buy pretty much any good studio.

[Order_66]

And the funny thing is nearly everyone in this thread will still throw their money in after complaining.

^This!

[spaceelf]

*shrug* you have n idea how much money I've put into Mass Effect 3 multi and Battleforge

...actually neither do I.

[AlphaPrime]

And I will be waiting for sales for all of their upcoming games.

[Teebor]

See those Simoleons in SimCity? It's actually the balance of your personal bank account. Every time you want to build something in your city money is withdrawn.

Shhhhh you will give them ideas ;)

EA - Destroying the industry one game at a time

[The Teej]

At the end of the day people are complaining but there are a myriad of examples of microtransactions being done right and EA have even implemented microtransactions in a reasonable fashion in Dead Space 3. If microtransactions help keep the price of their games down then that's fine by me.

Thanks, EA, for making me look like an asshat.

[neoadorable]

monetizing games can be risky, I agree...but must admit to falling in love with games like Dead Trigger and Blood and Glory on the tablet...I appreciate the talent that goes into them and understand that monetization is the way they make money, so I contribute. Ditto for Hawken, which i've also totally fallen in love with. I also have to admit to buying a couple resource packs in Dead Space 3, which is the best in the series so far, by the way. I do agree that this can go too far if allowed, and may end up ruining the joy of a solid, start to finish single player experience that you load and just immerse in.

[spaceelf]

http://www.shacknews.com/article/78093/ea-clarifies-microtransactions-comments

"I made a statement in the conference along the lines of 'We'll have micro-transactions in our games' and the community read that to mean all our games, and that's really not true," he said. He did note that all of its mobile games going forward will have microtransactions, "because almost all of them are going to a world where they are play for free." He called mobile the "real core" of its microtransaction strategy.

For non-mobile games, Jorgensen says the strategy is to extend the game's life, which might involve microtransactions, downloadable content, or services like Battlefield Premium. "It allows someone to take a game that maybe they played for 1,000 hours and play it for 2,000 hours," he said. "We are very conscious that we don't want to make consumers feel like they're not getting value. We want to make sure consumers are getting value."

Soooo people getting worked up about very little again.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Is this not the same as DLC?

[Crisp]

Is this not the same as DLC?

Disc locked content, or download content?

[Kreuger]

This company should effing sink like the Titanic.

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

I have to say Real Racing 3 on the iPad is the worse offender I have ever, ever seen of micro-transactions. It is actually offensive. For example, one can pay to get the oil changed on their car faster? if not, you have to wait 5 minutes until you can race again. It is an absolute joke. I will never touch that game again, and it sucks as it is a decent game overall. Sure, one cannot play, but then it is a game of race for 2 minutes, wait 5 minutes, rinse and repeat. It goes against everything mobile gaming is supposed to be, and that is pick up and play and kill a couple of minutes real quick. If that is the future of EA games, I will no doubt pass.

[spaceelf]

Is this not the same as DLC?

Generally, microtransactions refers to 99 cents or less purchases, so no.

[MightyJordan]

This company should effing sink like the Titanic.

Unfortunately, it won't happen, mostly due to one word: FIFA. If they ever lost the licensing rights, then yeah, that'd probably signal the beginning of the end for them...

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Disc locked content, or download content?

Downloaded Content.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

I have to say Real Racing 3 on the iPad is the worse offender I have ever, ever seen of micro-transactions. It is actually offensive. For example, one can pay to get the oil changed on their car faster? if not, you have to wait 5 minutes until you can race again. It is an absolute joke. I will never touch that game again, and it sucks as it is a decent game overall. Sure, one cannot play, but then it is a game of race for 2 minutes, wait 5 minutes, rinse and repeat. It goes against everything mobile gaming is supposed to be, and that is pick up and play and kill a couple of minutes real quick. If that is the future of EA games, I will no doubt pass.

That's horrible and it reminds me of why I despise micro-transactions. Adding extra time to weight with an option to pay to get that time reduced is borderline torture. It's even worse if the game has an initial fee with micro-transactions added on top.

If EA sticks to this plan, then I won't buy any of their games. I'm happy with developers like Valve or Blizzard Entertainment. And speaking of Valve, they know how to monetize a game. They do it by adding cosmetic items which can be bought or found in-game. This is fair because none of the cosmetic items will give players an edge over those that don't have such items.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

Actually, browser-based gaming is the golden-child of MTs (it all STARTED there).

actually they didn't

F2P MMOs where doing micro-transactions long before the browser-based games of myspace and facebook started doing it

[SierraSonic]

https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1140084-dead-space-4-gone/page__p__595560132#entry595560132

I've said it there, this is what I expect from EA.

EA is funny, first they say that we should speak with our money, don't buy a game if you don't like micro-transactions.

And THIS is what happens when we do not buy their gimped games... they just cancel the next one instead of making it correctly, and blame it on something else.

EA, just **** you, I'm done, I haven't given you money since you ****ed me with BF3. Now you can for sure never see money from me until you change your ways. #1 worst company for a reason.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

EA Games with their microtransactions....sure doesn't help win at a game if you don't have a credit card. How biased! Angers me every time I fire up NFS: MW! Stupid Tactical Decision is Stupid and Non-Tactical! :(

[Mr. Gibs]