I can't believe this hasn't caught on with mainstream shooters yet. The Mann co. microtransaction method is the perfect solution to online shooter DLC, why everybody picked this up and ran with it is completely beyond me. For those who are unaware, the Mann co. microtransaction method functions by selling weapons/cosmetics/misc items to players for a small amount of real world money. But you are never forced to buy these items, they can be found for free by just playing the game.
This completely benefits both the consumer and developers, the customers never feel forced to buy to win, they know they are completely in control of their own cash while still standing on fair ground with players who have purchased items from the store.
The irony of this whole system is when players aren't forced to buy microtransactions they are more likely to buy them. Say 40% of a 800,000 player base buys an item for a dollar a week. That would be 320,000 players a week, ergo $320,000 a week. In a month the total would even out to $1,280,000 a month. I'm don't work for a major gaming company, and I don't know how much it costs to run servers or pay developers to patch the game. But that price is nothing to sneeze at, and that would be if only 40% of the community bought microtransactions. The Company could afford to put out a continuous flow of maps and weapons out for free. This has kept the Team Fortress crowd on hook for four years. Valve just recently took it a step further and just made the game free.
If Call of Duty, Halo, or Battlefield adopted this we could be in the golden years of online shooters. Leveling up isn't the way shooters need to go, microtransactions are.
This completely benefits both the consumer and developers, the customers never feel forced to buy to win, they know they are completely in control of their own cash while still standing on fair ground with players who have purchased items from the store.
The irony of this whole system is when players aren't forced to buy microtransactions they are more likely to buy them. Say 40% of a 800,000 player base buys an item for a dollar a week. That would be 320,000 players a week, ergo $320,000 a week. In a month the total would even out to $1,280,000 a month. I'm don't work for a major gaming company, and I don't know how much it costs to run servers or pay developers to patch the game. But that price is nothing to sneeze at, and that would be if only 40% of the community bought microtransactions. The Company could afford to put out a continuous flow of maps and weapons out for free. This has kept the Team Fortress crowd on hook for four years. Valve just recently took it a step further and just made the game free.
If Call of Duty, Halo, or Battlefield adopted this we could be in the golden years of online shooters. Leveling up isn't the way shooters need to go, microtransactions are.