Diablo 4's Ridiculous Skin Prices Are Just A Reminder We Live In Microtransaction Hell

Diablo 4's Ridiculous Skin Prices Are Just A Reminder We Live In Microtransaction Hell https://ift.tt/bs3WYfo

Microtransactions have been a significant and accepted part of gaming for well over a decade, but every now and then players will encounter something that makes their hair stand on end. The recently released mega-hit Diablo IV served as the catalyst for this most recent MTX controversy, as players went online to complain about high prices for the game's cosmetic loot. But though we may huff and puff about battle passes and $20 suits of armor all we want--because it really does seem that every major game has to be stuffed to the gills with extra revenue streams these days--it's not clear if there's an alternative we can boost as a better option.

To be fair, I think players have a right to be upset here. By all accounts, Diablo IV is a great game, more than earning its premium $70 price point through its in-depth loot systems and compulsive gameplay loop. The fact that the game then has an in-game shop that prompts you to spend 2500 Platinum (or $20) on the "Triune Apostate" armor is a crude reminder of the secondary purchases that have become increasingly unavoidable in today's video game market. Want a shinier mount? You can earn some through play, but if you want all of them to choose from, that'll run you $8 apiece.

One fan calculated that the game's current cosmetics would run you $357 to net everything, a figure that somehow seems low by current standards. And all this precedes the rollout of the game's battle pass model, which will be the real test of how much content Diablo IV will lock behind a recurring real-money payment. In 2006, Oblivion's $2 Horse Armor DLC was an internet meme, a cheap joke at the expense of those who would throw away their money for something so trifling. Today, Diablo's skins are 10 times that price, and many players just accept it as a normal part of AAA gaming. After all, what can we really do about it?

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