[Q] wrote:Honestly if 2K got rid of or reduced the amount of VC needed to play the game, whoever makes that decision should be fired because it's easy money. VC is pure profit for the company and people have proven that they'll continue to pay for it.
Sure, but it's also possible to kill the Golden Goose. As many have noted, including Jim Sterling, the bubble can certainly burst if users get fed up with the business model and aggressive approach of implementing a freemium economy in a AAA game. If the consumers revolt, it's eventually going to hurt the company and the shareholders. As StyxTx said, bigger companies than 2K have failed because of their business practices.
Incidentally, Jim Sterling has summed up the situation extremely well in
this Twitter thread. This
reply is also rather on-point, as is everything else he's said about microtransactions, loot boxes, and so forth.
timmyd wrote:So the whole notion of micro transactions and VC doesn't really piss me off. But, I do understand the frustrations. It's one thing, that the game was purely perfect and gave all the users exactly what they wanted and modes were even better.... and they were holding micro transactions. It's another when there are still server issues, game play issues and there staff/dev's still can't get faces right and the game takes steps back in graphics and game play every year.
That's definitely part of it. It's added frustration on top of frustration with the games in general.
The thing is, if you're not playing MyCAREER or the connected online modes, VC is not really an issue. You can generally earn enough to do what you like in the other modes that use them, or in the case of MyTEAM, use the MT currency to buy packs instead. The grind to improve your player for MyCAREER and its connected online experiences has become very rough, though. Again, it's basically become a freemium model in a AAA game, and for an annual release, that really stinks.
It's hard to take a stand here, and I'll admit to being part of the problem. I did drop a little real currency on virtual currency for an immediate boost at launch, because it's all but necessary if you're spending any time with 2K Pro-Am or The Playground. A lot of people will pay for that immediate boost, so to have any chance of being competitive with them, you have to either grind a lot (not always feasible when you're in your 30s and have to divvy up your gaming and general leisure time between other responsibilities, and not that fun besides), or consider paying for a head start (rather undesirable, and rather shady as far as younger gamers are concerned). Your hand is kind of forced by other people's willingness to pay, so it's difficult to break the cycle.
As such, a lot of people spend money and 2K gets to frame it as something the userbase is comfortable in doing, when in reality a lot of people are doing it through gritted teeth to justify their investment in the game and try to make the most of it because they do want to play the experiences on offer. And so, it becomes a vicious cycle. It just remains to be seen when the bubble will burst.