Every company wants to make money… and as much of it as possible. The video game company, Blizzard, just wants to do it even if it destroys some fans.
Activision Blizzard management likely plan each night how to rip off their fans in ways nobody has yet even conceived. Meanwhile every day brings a new protest for an injustice at the Blizzard photo op gate by employees who work for a company we’ve previously called “evil”. That’s quite the accomplishment and a heck of a case of irony. But when a corporation continues to be led by a man credibly abused of attempted murder whilst using the worst predatory practices in the industry, what else are we supposed to do?
My latest for @Polygon — I breakdown and discuss the various predatory gameplay systems in Diablo Immortal, and how this is effectively a culmination of the worst practices in hyper-popular mobile games that have generated massive amounts of profits over the past decade. https://t.co/mn5AYXj66z
— Kazuma Hashimoto (@JusticeKazzy_) July 21, 2022
So it is that surely nobody is shocked it looks like they’re doing it again with Overwatch 2. The game that envisions some sort of utopian humanity facing of against robo baddies will be employing some seriously expensive prices come the fall… if a Blizzard survey is to be believed. Are you ready to pay nearly fifty dollars for a “mythic” skin?
Of course not! But if you’re a sixteen year old kid working for minimum wage, this becomes much more inviting. And what about if you want multiple skins… and game passes… and emotes? Just like in Diablo Immortal, get ready for a free to play game that will potentially prey on those with an addiction for hundreds and thousands of dollars.
I get that video game companies want to make as much money as possible. I understand that’s the entire goal of publicly traded corporations who have a responsibility to their investors. The problem with Activision Blizzard is their theory about how to make as much money as possible. I believe it is fundamentally flawed and I also see them as a harbinger of what other companies buying into this model will face in the future. The fundamental flaw is the idea that you can milk addicted consumers for as much money as possible, diminishing your overall consumer base but simultaneously making more money than any other model out there. And though I agree that works in the short term, I think that it’s so devious and so predatory that it can’t last long term. Either consumers will turn against you in mass or governments will do so. Yet Blizzard in particular seems married to this concept at the same time they virtue signal on every day that ends with Y.
Until we reach the point where people revolt in mass, Blizzard will continue using a monetization scheme that severely damages those who are most vulnerable. That’s why Blizzard is literally the worst offender of all the corporations playing around with this concept in my opinion. What a sad fall for a company that was once built by geniuses before being consumed by debauchery.
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