Ubisoft says microtransactions “makes the player experience more fun” — ranking as maybe the worst quote in gaming history

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Ubisoft aspires to follow in Electronic Arts’ footsteps, learning from its past strategies of revenue generation, following a recent incident causing confusion among gamers. Fresh from their latest financial report, Ubisoft has made a daring statement suggesting that players derive greater enjoyment when they are given the opportunity to spend even more on games they have already purchased.

In my own words, here’s what Ubisoft’s financial report says: “Ubisoft aims to create monetization and engagement strategies that maintain a high-quality player experience while being sustainable over time. For premium games developed by Ubisoft, the philosophy is that players should be able to fully enjoy the game without having to spend extra money.

Moving forward, they confidently assert that their in-game premium features significantly enhance the enjoyment of players. These features enable players to customize their characters or advance faster at their discretion, but it’s always up to them whether to use these options or not.

For a brief instant, let’s pretend their perspective is correct. Perhaps I’ve lost touch with modern gamer preferences; it seems you all are eager to invest in temporary digital items like skins, but these vanish once the game creator decides to close the game.

After spending an extended period thinking about something so unbelievable, it’s high time I get back to the real world. (Have I been living in a bubble recently?)

It’s clear that Ubisoft hits the nail on the head when they say that players enjoy customizing their characters. For as long as I can remember, discovering new outfits for my in-game character has been a significant motivation for me to keep playing a game.

Did you catch that part about unlocking? Does that sound the same as buying something? Not really.

It’s clear that player skins are extremely popular due to games such as Call of Duty, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six Siege from Ubisoft, and many others. I also recognize the importance of microtransactions in gaming to offset growing development costs and maintain online community games for a period of ten years or more.

It’s not clear to me why someone would claim that pleasure comes from using a credit card. Instead, I believe it’s the items or achievements one can secure without spending money that truly stand out. Those things that are earned through effort and determination tend to be the most cherished.

In my final illustration, I’m referring to Rainbow Six Siege X. Achieving a particular rank offers unique charms and avatar backgrounds as proof of your accomplishment. These “earned” skins provide an unmatched sense of pride that no in-game currency purchase could match.

Purchasing skins may indeed offer a certain degree of pleasure, but this joy is often tainted by multiple factors that motivate players to make these purchases. It can seem misleading to categorize it as an enhancer of fun alone, given the numerous other aspects involved.

The anxiety of not being part of something exciting often motivates people to buy cosmetics. Some innovative solutions even use game mechanics like player matching, which encourages purchases of skins to keep the game experience engaging.

As more and more people pour money into the game, it’s increasingly challenging to resist the urge to join them. This sense of wanting to belong is deeply rooted within us, leading to a fear of missing out (FOMO).

It’s clear that there is a valid point to consider: purchasing in-game cosmetic items like skins can bring a sense of pleasure or satisfaction to players. Just about anyone has spent some money on their preferred games, including myself on multiple occasions, especially when it comes to my beloved customizations.

What truly infuriates me is the assertion that gamers enjoy using credit cards to advance in their games. Can’t you see I’m joking?

I find it hard to believe and downright frustrating when people claim that players appreciate using credit cards for game progress. Is this a joke or something?

Observing microtransactions within a Ubisoft game, which offer resources for your single-player storyline, is undeniably one of the most perplexing trends in gaming today. Regrettably, it’s a practice that an alarmingly large number of gamers seem to have grown accustomed to.

It seems like we’re moving from equipping horses with armor from the Elder Scrolls expansion packs, to purchasing strategic locations for guns in Far Cry 6. But here’s the question: Why spend $70 on a game, only to follow it up with multiple $5 purchases for resources for your in-game settlement, virtual currency, and map locations? That sounds more like squandering than smart gaming, doesn’t it?

Instead of targeting the gamers, I’m now aiming my criticism at Ubisoft, the company in question. Their claim of adopting monetization and engagement strategies that prioritize the player experience seems increasingly absurd as you contemplate it further.

As a gaming enthusiast, I ponder over the concept of bypassing the resource-gathering phases in a game and jumping straight to the finale. From my perspective, this method might seem appealing at first glance due to its time-saving nature. However, it potentially undermines the overall player experience. Instead, it feels like a truncated version that leaves out the very essence of gaming – the journey and the thrill of overcoming challenges along the way. The true joy lies in the process of acquiring resources, developing strategies, and progressing through levels, which is what makes the final victory so rewarding. Skipping these stages might leave some players feeling short-changed, as if they’ve missed out on a crucial part of the experience.

In simpler terms, we wonder if the tough gameplay elements with optional purchases are intentionally difficult because the developers want us to buy more. However, we can’t be certain, which adds to our frustration.

It seems to me that I may not be aware of the general sentiment among other gamers, but I’ll express my personal viewpoint by giving a figurative thumbs-down to whoever thought it was acceptable to make such statements that assume player autonomy.

Are there others like me, or am I just one among many? Leave a comment, cast your vote, or share your thoughts on our social media platforms. It could be that I’m not just mistaken, but rather, I might be Principal Skinner himself.

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2025-07-21 13:39