Microtransactions in Console Games: Does a Dark Future Await?

Hardcore Droid: "With the just-announced price drop of the Xbox One, the removal of the Kinect, and the recent hiring of the games-focused Phil Spencer as new head of the Xbox division, Microsoft is backing off extremely hard from their initial branding as an always-on living room service and joining the Playstation 4’s price as more of a classic console. This might be good news for the future of consoles, but it’s also indicative of how perilous the console market is right now. A desire for the most cutting-edge graphics possible has caused the budgets of AAA console games to rise dramatically and crippled the ability of many developers to take significant risks. One failed game can result in entire studios being closed and entire franchises being ended, and the benchmarks for what constitutes a financial success are getting higher and higher. It’s no wonder, then, that companies like Microsoft, Sony, and EA are hungrily eying the mobile free-to-play model, where massive, ongoing p…