Gaming company Ubisoft published a financial report for the last year, which stated that microtransactions in paid games «make the gaming experience more interesting». This statement did not go down well with players.
Gaming company Ubisoft published a financial report for the last year, which stated that microtransactions in paid games «make the gaming experience more interesting». This statement did not go down well with players.
The report outlines elements of Ubisoft’s «group business model and strategy,» which includes further monetization beyond the initial purchase of the company’s games. It also makes a key point about «implementing monetization and engagement policies that respect the player experience and are sustainable in the long term», — PC Gamer points out.
«At Ubisoft, the golden rule when developing premium games is to give players the opportunity to fully enjoy the game without having to spend additional money. Our monetization offer in premium games makes the player experience more interesting by allowing them to personalize their avatars or progress faster, but this is always optional», — the report notes.
Ubisoft said that 58% of its PC revenue in fiscal 2024 came from digital microtransactions. The company first introduced microtransactions in paid games in 2017's Assassin’s Creed Origins, which included the ability to purchase XP boosters and cosmetic add-ons like armor and unique vehicles. Since then, every major Assassin’s Creed game and several other franchises have featured similar monetization with optional cosmetic add-ons.
Ubisoft has also «created a working group dedicated to monetization and its associated risks» with the aim of «better understanding issues related to monetization, in particular by identifying practices that may be perceived as manipulative or opaque».
However, this idea did not appeal to the players, and further deepened the gap between them and the company.
«Microtransactions help players have more fun — it’s like saying, ‘You can have nothing and be happy’», — said one X user (Twitter).
On Reddit, users accused Ubisoft of making its paid single-player games intentionally more boring unless the player makes microtransactions: «They made it boring from the start; otherwise people wouldn’t buy it and wouldn’t have more fun afterwards».
While microtransactions may be considered acceptable in free-to-play games, most gamers believe that their introduction into full-fledged paid games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows feels like a rip-off.
