Halloween Content Paywall

Gears 5
#47

This is referring to the game and MTX in a paid game in general, not just the Halloween content. However, the game itself does need to function right and they are weasling money on a broken game. That’s what I’m referring to there.

The game should be good on its own merits and encourage players to get their friends involved, friends of friends, etc. The game should function as intended, be a GOOD game. I’m not expecting perfection, every game has flaws, but the game should be functional and have a base amount of people backing it. Also, there was nothing wrong with season passes instead of MTX.
Fact is, this is a $60+ retail title from a AAA studio and should not have MTX in it. I do not believe for one second that if the game functioned properly and was actually a great title that they would have trouble making money. I believe this of all PAID games that have that price tag should be able to hold up fine without an F2P model in their games. It is a sh^tty business practice.

2 Likes
#48

That mentality is becoming more prevelant, but there’s a degree of revisionist history to it. Prior to lootboxes and the Games as a Service model becoming prevelant, the big target of gamer ire was season passes. That chatter has died down in favor of the new big bad, but I still remember it plain as day.

Triple-A publishers are always going to press for longer-term revenue streams. They didn’t in the past become gaming wasn’t as mainstream in those days. The gamer population is large enough now that it’s viable, I don’t see that changing.

2 Likes
#49

I think we all agree that the bugs, servers and all that are horrible on Gears 5. I’m going to ignore that and speak strictly on the existence of MTX since you don’t think they have a place here.

I’ve spent $0 on Gears 5 and I likely will never spend a dime, yet I’m going to have so many skins that I love. If the MTX options allow TC to make enough money from other people so that I don’t have to spend any myself, then I’d love to keep them. The MTX whales are essentially paying for my copy of the game.

But okay, let’s say I bought the game outright and didn’t take advantage of Game Pass. Still, I’d have only spent $60 lifetime on Gears 5, which is cheaper than I can say for most other games. Most games have paid DLC and Season’s Passes which essentially force you to spend an extra $60 on the game, rather than having the choice to buy some cosmetic every once in a while. Would you rather be forced or have the option? It’s as simple as that for me.

DLC is essentially forced because not being able to play on the latest maps is unacceptable. And I believe that Gears 5 will soon be worth the initial $60 once they come out with more earnable content + maps + game modes. Not having paid skins is not unacceptable because there is lots to earn and will be lots more to earn.

3 Likes
#50

And still a common practice among smaller developers that can’t swing mtx. I stopped playing Vermintide 2 when they decided only people who bought the new DLC could host matches with the new content. Public matchmaking basically died because the already small playerbase was divided between the haves and the havenots.

#51

The thing is that I never had a problem with SP because it was a flat fee for all additional content post launch. If you bought the SE you would get a 30% discount on the SP, then you’d have all the games content. Also, game developers get money from merchandising sales too. It’s probably a percentage of it, but it’s still money that goes to the studio for their property. With all the people buying Special Editions, spending money on special consoles, telling their friends to play a game, buying merch, it can’t be said that these people need MTX in a paid game when they generate a ton of revenue from their IP.

Also, I knew people who didn’t buy anything with a season pass and were happy. It is a choice to buy the SP, however a lot of gamers will just because they want whatever content comes out post launch. Also, those games worked better than G5 did on launch and that’s what made the content worth the time and effort. As I sated before, a game should stand on its own and it will encourage those fans to tell their friends, and their friends friends, and create a chain.
Those fans will buy merch which is a part of that IP which also makes them money, so no I am a firm believer that MTX is not necessary to fund a game.

1 Like
#52

Not a retail game.

#53

It is a retail game with a $60 plus dollar price tag.

3 Likes
#54

What you see as entitlement I see as recognizing a broken game taking advantage of an intentionally content-emaciated release to pry more money out of loyal customers.

MTX isn’t going away and I’m not on a crusade against them, but this game is a disappointment despite its potential. A great deal of good will and patience could be bought from the remaining playerbase by releasing considerable and free content in the face of a rocky premiere with consistent problems.

3 Likes
#55

Not for tha majority playing it.

#56

It is a retail game. It has a retail price tag, it was advertised as a retail game for a retail price. That price is $60 for base and $80 for Special Edition with halo/terminator characters.

It is a retail game.

2 Likes
#57

Yet majority of playerbase didn’t pay for the game.
I guess Fortnite is a retail game too by your logic.

#58

Where are you seeing thay there were more copies downloaded via game pass as opposed to purchases and how would that statistic, if true, prevent a physical version of the game from being considered retail?

#59

Look, dude, Gamepass doesn’t make the game a non retail game. You still need gamepass at whatever price you paid for it to play the game. The fact is, it wasn’t advertised as a F2P game. It is a full retail priced game. You need XBOX LIVE to play it also. This game is retail, no matter how you swing it.

Fortnite is Free, but you can buy in game currency to get stuff or earn it. That is an F2P model.

Gears 5 is not F2P, it is a retail game.

Also when gamepass runs out you no longer have access to the game, you have to buy it or extend your gamepass.

5 Likes
#60

The franchise was never that popular. It surpassed Fortnite on Xbox. Most people aren’t paying for the game, hence the free to play model.

#61

I agree that the game is a shitshow rn and it’s not even remotely worth the store price at the moment. But that’s not really what I’m arguing here.

#62

No Fortnite is not free. It launched as a pay to play game and had retail boxed copies. You can not earn a majority of the cosmetics without paying Epic money.

Just like if Netflix expires I can no longer watch the hit 90’s sitcom Friends. I never bought it.

#63

Being perturbed that the game was unplayable yesterday doesn’t seem entitled. Noticing that 5 released with little over half the character skins 4 did doesn’t either. Nor does being annoyed by constant glitches, bugs, being bilked out of match awards/Tour progress, or losing campaign progression.

I recognize that my $60+ is essentially paying for the right to play someone else’s intellectual property, but that doesn’t prohibit me from thinking that $8 for one skin in a game this flawed is vulgar and insulting.

Edit:
That Gears 5 is a shitshow is a cornerstone of my concern. I wouldn’t be nearly as annoyed by $8 skins that I have no intent to purchase if I thought I’d gotten close to my money’s worth out of the base game.

1 Like
#64

The story mode of the game launched as retail, it was also an early access fundraising model for the actual free to play game Battle Royale.

As it stands now, it is an F2P game because you don’t pay anything to play it.

The same goes for the game Warframe, which is my favorite F2P. People bought fundrasing packs to fund the initial game. You got special in-game content the higher tier you bought. But the game itself is F2P, you don’t even need a live or Plus subscription to play it. You can spend money and buy plat to buy cosmetics if you want to support the game, or you can earn almost everything in the game and trade with other players not spending a penny.

Gears 5 is not F2P it is a retail game. It was advertised as a retail game. The game’s price is $60 to $80 retail depending on what version someone pays for. The fact that it is on gamepass is irrelevant because in the end, it is a fully priced game and should not be subject to the F2P model.

1 Like
#65

Fortnite was in development since Gears 3, the story mode was the only thing in development.
lol, it wasn’t a “fund raiser” and Battle Royale was never apart of the plan. BR was added when PUBG got a popularity spike AFTER Fortnite was already released.
Fortnite story mode still costs money and since day one had loot boxes that could be bought with real money.

2 Likes
#66

Fact is, fortnite BR is still free. And if the story mode is retail then it should also not have any MTX’s in it either.

That’s the argument here, Retail games shouldn’t have MTX in them period.

Gears 5 is not F2P, it is retail. It was advertised as retail, it has a retail price tag. No F2P model, no MTX’s. End of story.

1 Like