As much as i can't stand pay-to-win microtransactions and such, offering special items that are strictly for show is fine by me as long as the person understands that they're really getting nothing in-hand out of it. Is it a waste of money? Idk. One person's waste of money is another's obsession. I think people who read e-books and have digital magazine subs are being ripped off but to each their own. It's not like the mount is necessary to fly in-game and you're kinda forced into buying it for convenience. Then i'd object.
And let's not forget that you can buy it...and STILL earn the tough in-game mounts. Or just buy the cheapo mounts in-game and ignore the special mounts altogether n pvp all day. Whatever does it for ya.
But they WON'T pass it on to developers. And i can easily see digital games costing just as much as physical games in the future. The companies will just give some lame excuse like "imaginary programming costs are SKYROCKETING!". They don't say how or why they're suddenly increasing, just that they are. Physical items should ALWAYS cost much more than digital. Sending out boxes to brick and mortar shops is much more expensive than paying some cheap guy w/ a technical school degree to dust off a server once in a while.
I suspect that what he said is a typical half-truth. Like mebbe 5% of gamers 15-18 or something. Gamers that don't have a freaking gaming-past in the first place.
This guy needs to go back to marketing school. I think all these companies like MS and Sony are getting their research from commercials.They see all these pre-teens and young adults running around w/ the latest phone, tablet, running shoe, etc. and they assume that that is all everyone wants. Those are freaking kids, waiting on their mom to buy the stuff. IT'S A COMMERCIAL. Just like music videos. The hot girls on those videos are paid models and as soon as the shoot is over they bail. They probably don't even know who the clown is that's they're dancing around. Marketing. You want an example of real research?
MS and Sony are forgetting what many other game companies (clone makers, emulators, 80s toy makers, etc) have realized and that there is huge money in nostalgia. And many people my age who grew up in the 80s now have stable jobe and fat wallets. Hasbro figured out real quick: nerds have credit cards. Retro = easy money.
They have to have tons of exclusives. It's the only way to get people to buy the machine really. If you want to play some COD exclusive then it's their way or the highway. If the next Fallout game or Elder Scrolls is XO or PS4 exclusive then i'm just screwed i guess. I'm done with consoles. RROD. Crummy d/ls on PS3. I must've pizzed thru 2 or 3 each of 360s and PS3s. Everything works smooth and slick on the commercials. Then ya get it home...
rrhammer's comments