Activision Blizzard Made Over $4 Billion on Microtransactions in 2017

Megalith

Megalith

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According to its Q4 2017 financial results, Activision Blizzard made $7.16 billion in revenue the entire fiscal year – and over half of that was thanks to microtransactions. $4 billion stemmed from in-game purchases, half of which was earned from mobile, and the other from PC and console in-game purchases.

Of course, every big game Activision Blizzard makes has microtransactions or add-ons. This includes Call of Duty: WW2, Overwatch, and Destiny 2. In some cases, with Call of Duty and Destiny, the games have multiple means of post-launch monetization. This is quite the figure, and it’ll no doubt inform the future of the company, and the wider games industry.
 
I like the idea of cosmetic micro transactions. I think selling someone a shiny purple hat is a great way to increase profit without raising base game prices. As long as they stick to selling purely cosmetic shit all the power to them, I don't care at all about looking like everyone else but if you do and you have the cash wtf do I care if it doesn't change game mechanics or balance.

Overwatch and WoW are great examples of how to do it right, hopefully everyone learns from EA and realizes that there is a line and that involves hiding actual game play or balance behind a paywall which is bullshit.
 
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Ragenrok said:
I like the idea of cosmetic micro transactions. I think selling someone a shiny purple hat is a great way to increase profit without raising base game prices. As long as they stick to selling purely cosmetic shit all the power to them, I don't care at all about looking like everyone else but if you do and you have the cash wtf do I care if it doesn't change game mechanics or balance.

Overwatch and WoW are great examples of how to do it right, hopefully everyone learns from EA and realizes that there is a line and that involves hiding actual game play or balance behind a paywall is bullshit.
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Even cosmetics is cheating because at some point wearing something visual would tell people you did something amazing in a game. Now you can buy your way to look like you took down an epic boss. Just imagine if Dark Souls did this. It would ruin the game.

 
Well there’s a lot of stupid people out there. I mean just look at all the idiots that donate money to twitch streamers like the IRL ones or dr disrespect.
 
Reading news like this ....... it sobering and shocking in terms of ... my personal hope that micro transactions wouldn't take hold, but I've clearly mislead myself for the last 24 - 36 months into thinking this won't get too big on the PC side vs mobile. Yeah, was I wrong.

The good thing about this is that Activision / Blizzard have earned these massive profits with mostly player services and visual upgrades, pets, mounts, etc etc etc for the most part something that greedy ass EA could learn from.

I played World of Warcraft for years and I never felt that I was being nickled and dimed to death with micro transactions.

Diablo 2 .... yes ... I got to a point I had to spend money, $80 to buy gear from the AH. That ruined the game for me and never played it again after I realized the sin I had committed.

And a few dollars here and there on Hearthstone. Well, another $80 or $100.

I actually spent more money on buying GOLD over the years from playerauctions than I did on anything else combined. Like 2k or 3k but this goes back 15+ years with DAOC and WoW.

In the end I came out ahead as I've also made a lot of gold, millions and sold it to the Chinese. $1,000 here, $1,000 there. One of those times actually got my account banned. I more than came out ahead.

Shrug, I guess it's all a money game no matter what.
 
DukenukemX said:
Even cosmetics is cheating because at some point wearing something visual would tell people you did something amazing in a game. Now you can buy your way to look like you took down an epic boss. Just imagine if Dark Souls did this. It would ruin the game.

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Do you really though? I personally don't like looking like some over the top jackass in games and find more moderate sleek looking visuals way more appealing than worrying about my epeen infront of other players. Destiny 2 when it came it made it easy, want to show you beat the raid? Equip the emblem you received from it and everyone knew you had done it. I could still show off my achievement while not looking like a douche.

It's all personal opinion of course but I've never felt the need to show off armor as an accomplishment because just like a resume in real life it usually means jack shit when it comes to actual skill.
 
It is bad for those of us that appreciate a game that has a good visual style. Paid cosmetics in MP games is like molestation, not as bad as rape but still not okay.
 
And that's why the micro bandwagon is what it is..My son started playing a game called Tanki X lately and he gets so pissed off sometimes because a "big spender" as we call them wrecks the entire match with their godly gear.
If someone wants to pay to win let them, but let them play with other big spenders and keep them out of sane peoples' matches. Wouldn't that be a solution? They get their money from the idiots, and it doesn't wreck the game for everyone else.
 
Loose Nut said:
There is strength in numbers, the stupid has become OP
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Overpowering? Yes it certainly has. Hopefully this micro transaction trend will grow very fast now, and die accordingly (fast I mean) I will be god dammed if I pay 60$ and have to pay MT or even be offered MT fuck that shit.
 
Ragenrok said:
I like the idea of cosmetic micro transactions.
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As Jim Sterling asserts, cosmetics are sometimes part of the gaming experience and should not always be paywalled. On the other hand, I generally don't have a big problem with paid cosmetics. In Rainbow Six: Siege, for example, I think the Pro League and Elite sets are quite fine being attainable only with real money. The problem comes with the RNG loot boxes. RB6 has "Alpha" packs which are random but can be obtained through gameplay rather than just money; that's fine, too. However the new "Outbreak" packs are pay-only and RNG which I have a problem with, and they try to compromise with no duplicates but I find that's a bit disingenuous. Keep in mind there is a separation between F2P and B2P games. There should be no purchasable advantages in a B2P and there should be no purchase-only RNG cosmetics in B2P, either.
 
Betaboy1983 said:
And that's why the micro bandwagon is what it is..My son started playing a game called Tanki X lately and he gets so pissed off sometimes because a "big spender" as we call them wrecks the entire match with their godly gear.
If someone wants to pay to win let them, but let them play with other big spenders and keep them out of sane peoples' matches. Wouldn't that be a solution? They get their money from the idiots, and it doesn't wreck the game for everyone else.
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But destroying the "non big spenders" is part of the kick these guys get. If you put the big spenders together they wouldn't have any advantage and would lose interest in buying th loot.
 
Maxx said:
As Jim Sterling asserts, cosmetics are sometimes part of the gaming experience and should not always be paywalled. On the other hand, I generally don't have a big problem with paid cosmetics. In Rainbow Six: Siege, for example, I think the Pro League and Elite sets are quite fine being attainable only with real money. The problem comes with the RNG loot boxes. RB6 has "Alpha" packs which are random but can be obtained through gameplay rather than just money; that's fine, too. However the new "Outbreak" packs are pay-only and RNG which I have a problem with, and they try to compromise with no duplicates but I find that's a bit disingenuous. Keep in mind there is a separation between F2P and B2P games. There should be no purchasable advantages in a B2P and there should be no purchase-only RNG cosmetics in B2P, either.
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I like the idea of them if they keep base game prices down :) I'm not rich and can only afford 3-4 big game purchases a year so if they were to cut all MT in favour of raising prices another $20 that would affect me way more than my characters visual appearance. I fully appreciate that to some people their character looks is an important aspect but it's very low compared to actual gameplay for me.
 
Ragenrok said:
I like the idea of them if they keep base game prices down :) I'm not rich and can only afford 3-4 big game purchases a year so if they were to cut all MT in favour of raising prices another $20 that would affect me way more than my characters visual appearance. I fully appreciate that to some people their character looks is an important aspect but it's very low compared to actual gameplay for me.
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Inherently cosmetics shouldn't mean much in RB6 - it's a tactical game, after all. Of course having camouflage could be of practical use but I digress.

To continue with my example, they actually tried to increase the cost of the base game with a new Advanced Edition that comes with some of the paid-RNG packs. So clearly that did NOT bring the price down. Worse, while they failed to deliver on the number of maps promised last year, they spent resources on a timed exclusive (4-week) event based more or less around selling these packs - including resources spent on developing the cosmetics. So potentially you have a situation where the base edition (they later backtracked after the fans complained loudly) costs more to contain cosmetics on which they spent resources that could have gone to actual content.

Obviously this is just one example but relying on developers to be "good faith" participants seems a bit naive after everything that's happened in the last year within the industry. I understand where you're coming from and again I'm not against paid cosmetics per se, but when you introduce RNG on top of what I mentioned above you really are exploiting the player.
 
I just want to know who these fucking retards are that are rewarding them for adding this nonsense to their games.

Must be kids with their parents credit cards or something...
 
DukenukemX said:
Even cosmetics is cheating because at some point wearing something visual would tell people you did something amazing in a game. Now you can buy your way to look like you took down an epic boss. Just imagine if Dark Souls did this. It would ruin the game.

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No, sorry but you are just dead wrong. I am absolutely vehemently opposed to anything that even Approaches the Pay 2 Win model. I have absolutely refused to buy any game that has the ability to buy anything that gives you an advantage in game. Cosmetics are absolutely 100% NOT cheating. Those are the absolute best example of how to do microtransactions. Further cosmetics and "epic loot" don't even have to be at odds. You the player get to choose if you want to make it obvious which item you worked so hard for, or customize your character to look how you want. If you don't like cosmetics personally that is fine. However there is no scenario in which they are cheating. That is just a complete hyperbolic statement.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I just want to know who these fucking retards are that are rewarding them for adding this nonsense to their games.

Must be kids with their parents credit cards or something...
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Marriage is in decline. More men are spending time sitting at their consoles and PCs playing games than doing domestic shit with the wife. Odds are they do live with their parents and have some sort of job, so they do have some disposable income. What else are they going to spend it on?

For myself, the microtransactions thing is why I no longer partake of modern games (as well as the focus on mulitplayer). The whole thing has shifted into territory that I don't find fun at all.
 
Smashing Young Man said:
Marriage is in decline. More men are spending time sitting at their consoles and PCs playing games than doing domestic shit with the wife. Odds are they do live with their parents and have some sort of job, so they do have some disposable income. What else are they going to spend it on?

For myself, the microtransactions thing is why I no longer partake of modern games (as well as the focus on mulitplayer). The whole thing has shifted into territory that I don't find fun at all.
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Personally I hate any bonus items or anything like that.

I recently decided to start playing through the Bioshock series, after not having got around to it for the better part of a decade.

1&2 were pretty good, but Infinite is pissing me off.

It somehow identified me as having pre-ordered the game and wanted to give me a bunch of bonus items for it.

My reaction was, bullshit, these games are usually too easy on the hardest setting as it is, I don't want any of these cheats to help me get though the game faster.

This had previously happened to me with Deus Ex HR. In that game I just refused to pick up the bonus items and all was good from that point on. In Bioshock Infinite they literally wouldn't let you continue to the next part of the game without picking up all of the bonus items, and once picked up, you are stuck with them. Some of the things (like the clothing) you can just choose not to use, but the tonics add bonuses you can't get rid of. REALLY annoying.

I equate buying items with real money in a game with cheating if they are items that affect gameplay, and in a single player game, the only person you are cheating is yourself.

I simply do not understand why anyone would want this garbage.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
No, sorry but you are just dead wrong. I am absolutely vehemently opposed to anything that even Approaches the Pay 2 Win model. I have absolutely refused to buy any game that has the ability to buy anything that gives you an advantage in game. Cosmetics are absolutely 100% NOT cheating. Those are the absolute best example of how to do microtransactions. Further cosmetics and "epic loot" don't even have to be at odds. You the player get to choose if you want to make it obvious which item you worked so hard for, or customize your character to look how you want. If you don't like cosmetics personally that is fine. However there is no scenario in which they are cheating. That is just a complete hyperbolic statement.
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If Dark Souls allowed you to buy a skin that made it look like you got awesome loot from a hard boss, when you really didn't, then that's cheating. Especially when cosmetics are part of the game, which it usually is nowadays. Though personally I'd rather make my own skins but we can't have that in a game where you buy skins. Sorry, I meant gamble your skins. Which is one of the reasons why OverWatch doesn't allow mods, maps, or any customization like in TF2. Which is why any micro-transaction is bad.

If OverWatch wasn't so heavily focused on it's micro-transaction cosmetics then maybe we'd have custom maps,mods, and skins. But no, cosmetic micro-transactions are harmless. :rolleyes:
 
DukenukemX said:
If Dark Souls allowed you to buy a skin that made it look like you got awesome loot from a hard boss, when you really didn't, then that's cheating. Especially when cosmetics are part of the game, which it usually is nowadays. Though personally I'd rather make my own skins but we can't have that in a game where you buy skins. Sorry, I meant gamble your skins. Which is one of the reasons why OverWatch doesn't allow mods, maps, or any customization like in TF2. Which is why any micro-transaction is bad.

If OverWatch wasn't so heavily focused on it's micro-transaction cosmetics then maybe we'd have custom maps,mods, and skins. But no, cosmetic micro-transactions are harmless. :rolleyes:
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Pure nonsense. Cosmetics in no way shape or form give a player an advantage, ergo not cheating. You might want to brush up on the definition of cheating. Again you are welcome to hate them, but there is no argument that they are cheating. Once again, pure hyperbolic nonsense.
 
Yet can't make a good Diablo game to save their ass.

Deckard Cain, killed by a Butterfly. Never forget.
 
To be honest I am fine with micros-transactions if they are done in a way that does not give someone a dramatic advantage in the game like EA was trying to do. My wife in her investments class is doing a paper on Activision-Blizzard and this is sadly one of the reasons I told her to put in her paper to convince people to invest in the company.
 
I'm against all microtransactions, including those for cosmetics, but I could compromise if it was a situation where you could just buy the cosmetic. Instead, Activision tends to use a predatory variant where you have to gamble with their slot machine loot boxes. So you could potentially need to spend hundreds just to get that one item you're really after.
 
I'm all for microtransactions. I'll happily let fools subsidize the games I play.
 
This makes me fell to dowmload there newest games for frea whit crack. From big companies steal what you can.
 
i remember when i was working with a guy who said microtransactions will be a massive part of gaming in the early 00s think bout a year later project gotham 2 got booster packs. everyone thought he was nuts but the guy got eveyone of his predictions right. sadly he passed away
 
I have no problem with Overwatch's micro transactions. I don't have time to sit there for hours in PUGs trying to get a skin I want through lvling/lootbox. $5-10 bucks here and there ain't gonna break the bank. I was upset at one point where their algorithm was throwing out whites and blues... but hey haven't been completely disappointed.
 
As long as they aren't singing "Take a chance on me" loot boxes, I don't really care. None of this roll the dice in hopes of getting something. Those are kid gambling traps.

It does ruin games in general, but it is what it is.
 
motqalden said:
But destroying the "non big spenders" is part of the kick these guys get. If you put the big spenders together they wouldn't have any advantage and would lose interest in buying th loot.
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Or.. it would cause (some of) them to spend even more to try to win every battle and make the company even more money..?
 
Yaka said:
i remember when i was working with a guy who said microtransactions will be a massive part of gaming in the early 00s think bout a year later project gotham 2 got booster packs. everyone thought he was nuts but the guy got eveyone of his predictions right. sadly he passed away
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Is he really passed away, or did he know his physical body was going to go away, and now he's somewhere beyond our limited minds?
 
AC Origins was turned into a grindy piece of crap because of microtransactions. They designed the game so as to trap you into boring activities that you then would want to escape from. Not going to play it any longer, uninstalling now.
 
holy shit. that's a lot of free money.

maxz01 said:
AC Origins was turned into a grindy piece of crap because of microtransactions. They designed the game so as to trap you into boring activities that you then would want to escape from. Not going to play it any longer, uninstalling now.
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... or you could get the scene release unlocker
 
I see mostly positives from the microtransactions.

In the old days I had a number of major complaints with games. And TBH microtransactions more than anything else has addressed them.
Companies abandoned or rarely updated games. Updates were only fairly important issues.
Games died fairly quickly so if you invested into learning a game or really liked it, it would be gone. A lot of games would really be flavor of the month with the main community only lasting 6 months or so. One of the reasons mods would do so well IMO is because the mod devs keep making the game since they have not got to the point of profit yet.

Microtransactions have made it profitable for companies to keep a game going and keep investing in it meaning you can play a game for a number of years and it keeps getting supported. Now I only like purely cosmetic ones with that said. Pay 2 win is not good.
 
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