2017 might as well have been the year of the Microtransactions. Everyone was talking about them, more and more developers started implementing them. Some microtransactions are no big deal – in fact, the way Overwatch does them, they are almost fun. That being said, when those infamous loot boxes start taking a turn of the pay-to-win variety, that’s when everything goes downhill – and fast.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Destiny 2 was one of those titles that remained center stage during this hot topic with their Eververse set up, while Overwatch has been used as a standard by many on how they don’t have to be the end of the world. What do they have in common? Not the same developer, but the Activision umbrella is there and it’s paying off. I mean, really paying off. According to the full earnings report for 2017, Activision Blizzrad has made a whopping 4 billiion dollars from “in-game net bookings.” For those that may be unfamiliar with that term, it means microtransactions.
This can include in-app purchases, DLC sales, loot boxes, and more. One analyst gave a little insight about where all of this revenue was coming from more specifically:
What’s the big takeaway from Activision Blizzard earnings?
“Activision Blizzard delivered an annual record of over $4 billion of in-game net bookings”
In other words, Activision saw $4 billion in net bookings from COD Map Packs, Overwatch loot boxes, mobile IAP etc…
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) February 8, 2018
It’s worth noting that around $2 billion of that is indeed from King’s mobile games such as Candy Crush.
But that still leaves another $2 billion from console and PC games add on content.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) February 8, 2018
Activision Blizzard isn’t the only company partaking in this monetization feature. More notorious than them is Electronic Arts. Though they have been using this feature for awhile now, the tension between the publisher and the general market came to a head with Star Wars Battlefront II when players noticed that the loot crates were much more than a means of customization or gear … it was deliberately taking to the pay-to-win approach to essentially buy your way into a better character. When documents later came out showing that this was in fact deliberate and not a design oversight, fans were furious.
More and more publishers and developers are looking towards microtransactions to hit that bottom line. Rockstar mentioned late last year that ever game from this point onwards will use this means as well. As for what that means for the gaming community and how this practice will continue to evolve, we’ll have to wait and see.
If you’re curious, the full Activision Blizzard earnings statement can be found here.
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios -
Image Courtesy of NBC
