Take-Two plans to only release games with 'recurrent consumer spending' hooks

[RetroStyle]

 

As long as Rockstar makes great games I don't mind microtransactions. It won't affect my game grinding style any.

That's like saying that you don't mind being worked to death on a farm as long as your feudalist overlords give you fancy tools to harvest those corns.

 

Microtransactions affect your gameplay severely. The more adamant Rockstar and Take-Two are about microtransaction milking, the more time you'll spend on grinding than you'll ever spend on actually enjoying the game, and it's all just to push you into buying a shark card when you eventually break because they played with your addiction.

 

I advise everyone to not reach this level of ignorance. Continuing to give money to a company that proudly wears its predatory anti-consumerist tactics on its sleeves is just plain stupid.

 

Two words "Car Dupes". Currently the only way to fight T2 and win imo.

[Yellow Dog with Cone]

 

 

As long as Rockstar makes great games I don't mind microtransactions. It won't affect my game grinding style any.

That's like saying that you don't mind being worked to death on a farm as long as your feudalist overlords give you fancy tools to harvest those corns.

 

Microtransactions affect your gameplay severely. The more adamant Rockstar and Take-Two are about microtransaction milking, the more time you'll spend on grinding than you'll ever spend on actually enjoying the game, and it's all just to push you into buying a shark card when you eventually break because they played with your addiction.

 

I advise everyone to not reach this level of ignorance. Continuing to give money to a company that proudly wears its predatory anti-consumerist tactics on its sleeves is just plain stupid.

 

Two words "Car Dupes". Currently the only way to fight T2 and win imo.

There's more ways:

 

- Spread the word about how grindy the game really is to potential buyers.

- Glitch your money and convince others to do the same.

- Don't grief other players trying to make money in the game.

- Don't buy Shark Cards (duh).

 

They don't deserve our respect and our money.

[JuniorChubb]

 

 

 

As long as Rockstar makes great games I don't mind microtransactions. It won't affect my game grinding style any.

That's like saying that you don't mind being worked to death on a farm as long as your feudalist overlords give you fancy tools to harvest those corns.

 

Microtransactions affect your gameplay severely. The more adamant Rockstar and Take-Two are about microtransaction milking, the more time you'll spend on grinding than you'll ever spend on actually enjoying the game, and it's all just to push you into buying a shark card when you eventually break because they played with your addiction.

 

I advise everyone to not reach this level of ignorance. Continuing to give money to a company that proudly wears its predatory anti-consumerist tactics on its sleeves is just plain stupid.

 

Two words "Car Dupes". Currently the only way to fight T2 and win imo.

There's more ways:

 

- Spread the word about how grindy the game really is to potential buyers.

- Glitch your money and convince others to do the same.

- Don't grief other players trying to make money in the game.

- Don't buy Shark Cards (duh).

 

They don't deserve our respect and our money.

 

 

Surely not buying the game would be better?

 

Even if you buy the game 'pre-owned' and play online you are still 'encouraging' the business model by boosting the player base. Just walk away and not use their products again.

Edited November 11, 2017 by JuniorChubb

[Arrows to Athens]

 

 

Disgusting.

[White Shark]

I've never once bought a shark card because I don't agree with them or what they represent. If it gets to the point where buying microtransactions becomes a necessity, I will simply stop buying those games.

[HamwithCheese]

Yeah not buying the game would be better, but what else am I going to play? No other game like this.

[FuturePastNow]

If they go all-in on microtransactions (well, more so than now) the "next" GTA Online iteration will see a bigger war between R*/T2 and multiplayer alternatives like FiveM (SixM?). And a bigger war between them and modders, because I doubt their anti-cheat will ever really get better.

[JuniorChubb]

Yeah not buying the game would be better, but what else am I going to play? No other game like this.

So for you the issues aren't that bad if you are still willing to play as the game is good enough to overcome them.

 

I general, not aimed at you H&C: Consumers forget that businesses need them not the other way around. T2 needs us we don't need them, while we support their product all this whinging will do nothing.

Edited November 11, 2017 by JuniorChubb

[HamwithCheese]

 

Yeah not buying the game would be better, but what else am I going to play? No other game like this.

So for you the issues aren't that bad if you are still willing to play as the game is good enough to overcome them.

 

I general, not aimed at you H&C: Consumers forget that businesses need them not the other way around. T2 needs us we don't need them, while we support their product all this whinging will do nothing.

The issues are pretty bad but yeah I overlook them. But competition is a beautiful thing. Too much time at the top and your product falters. I have no loyalty to T2 or R* anymore. If another game challenges GTA, I would most definitely give it a chance.

[Xiled]

 

Seriously fk that guy

 

I also think that Strass Zelnick can go and f*ck himself, but that's because I'm an average guy who spends his spare time playing video games instead of having an active life. Exactly because I am not like him, for better or worse.

 

He isn't a video-gamer, but a driven individual who makes the most out of his time instead of wasting it like we do. And it's because of this attitude that he doesn't understand how gamers think. If he actually sat down and played the games his company promotes, for hundreds of hours and for years on end, grinding missions to make in-game cash he would realise that they're becoming boring and repetitive. We're not talking about the core game itself, which is excellent, but the content that's been structured on top of that over four years in order to make additional revenue for T2 Interactive. And that's what makes the guy an asshole, being the head of a corporation that develops new content that's aimed at making in-game money instead of providing the armchair enthusiast with new and original entertainment.

 

It's a bit harsh on Zelnick, but he doesn't have time for video games and that's what makes him so despised.

 

Oh he doesn't have time? Well maybe because his game is too grindy. Buy a shark card Zelnick and you can skip the grind aka skipping the gameplay lmao

Edited November 11, 2017 by Xiled

[Jenkiiii]

Most of us are aware that all new games and content from Rockstar, owned by T2, for the foreseeable future will be released on the basis of minimal in-game content for your initial sixty bucks, followed by a train of microtransactions and dripfeeding to obtain all the stuff that was held back from the start. We're on the upward trend for this type of corporate activity, and there's nothing we can do about it until the bubble bursts and the general public says enough is enough.

 

I'm sorry that we have to go through this period right now, but that's the way it's going to be for the many years while the corporate shareholders milk the profits from the gaming industry.

[White Shark]

Yeah not buying the game would be better, but what else am I going to play? No other game like this.

 

I agree. But when companies start putting greed before gameplay and the gamers, then it's time to call it a day and cut your losses. Something I'm willing to do.

[Spadge]

The problem is pretty clear. It's all the investors behind the publishers that ruin games. Monetizing every vein of a videogame is a practise which is at odds with artistic freedom & solid game mechanics. The only industry in which consumers are overly monetized like that is the gaming industry, because the public is young & gullible. Take2 will respond to that incentive.

 

What we need is another gaming crash like in the eighties. It might sound bad but we, the customers would benefit from that greatly. If the audience for games wises up & matures, the market would no longer be profitable & exploitative enough for investors, which would cause them to drop out. There would still be huge profit incentive though because of the large amout of potential consumers, so companies still will be competing for our dollars. It's just that with the investors out of the equation & higher standards demanded by gamers, different publishers will have to compete by creating actual well crafted content and developers will be able to fully indulge in their visions.

 

You gotta realize that this is a struggle, there is absolutely no use in defending any corporations, rather that you gotta make these companies your b*tch. It's your money & consumerism that pays for all their expenses, and that better be worth something. If they don't deliver a proper videogame, don't buy it. If they don't get cash for their releases they'll soon realize who's really in charge.

 

EA, Ubisoft, Valve, and now TakeTwo, it was just a matter of time really. I am not suprised. Each of them are replacing solid mechanics, attention for detail, artistic ambition and rich features which exploitative micropayments. If it's not loot boxes or game currency it's paid DLC and rushed, crappy products. Folks with common sense feel like they've outgrown the gaming industry because of these practices.

 

PS: Can the mods stop removing all the Strauss Zelnick jew jokes? There's huge potential for comedy here and it is honestly quite fitting. x)

Edited November 11, 2017 by Spadge

[DangerZ0neX]

We're on the upward trend for this type of corporate activity, and there's nothing we can do about it until the bubble bursts and the general public says enough is enough.

Unfortunately, the general public doesnt see any problem with this. If we take reddit as an example of a popular platform, half of it are people who only played through GTA V once and dabbled around with Online before moving on to other games, and the other half is composed of varying ranges of fanboys.

 

The former dont see any problem with T2/R* going forward with these predatory schemes because theyre blinded by the free-to-download update, thus thinking the content is actually free with little to no grinding, all without realizing it works exactly like the average F2P mobile app game. The latter is so damning about their love for Rockstar that they believe it is mandatory to defend shark cards and the memeatic direction the franchise is heading, and as proven by the fact that a handful of them got gifted with Reddit Gold once (or even twice) for their white-knighting, a sizeable bit of them are paid shills. Im not joking, that really is the case on the two biggest GTA subreddits.

 

Doesnt help that literally after any time Rockstar does something controversial, like the firing of Lezlie Benz or the report of Gunrunning creating the most profitable fiscal year for T2, there is ALWAYS a we must thank Rockstar for free updates thread to save the companys face. Guess what, those get gifted Reddit Gold too.

 

Rockstar has to make some incredibly brash decisions that it cant save itself from, like, keeping on using P2P servers and locking some vehicles exclusive to whomever bought shark cards. When that actually happens, the general public will truly acknowledge the predicament.

Edited November 12, 2017 by DangerZ0neX

[Arrows to Athens]

 

We're on the upward trend for this type of corporate activity, and there's nothing we can do about it until the bubble bursts and the general public says enough is enough.

Unfortunately, the general public doesnt see any problem with this. If we take reddit as an example of a popular platform, half of it are people who only played through GTA V once and dabbled around with Online before moving on to other games, and the other half is composed of varying ranges of fanboys.

 

The former dont see any problem with T2/R* going forward with these predatory schemes because theyre blinded by the free-to-download update, thus thinking the content is actually free with little to no grinding, all without realizing it works exactly like the average F2P mobile app game. The latter is so damning about their love for Rockstar that they believe it is mandatory to defend shark cards and the memeatic direction the franchise is heading, and as proven by the fact that a handful of them got gifted with Reddit Gold once (or even twice) for their white-knighting, a sizeable bit of them are paid shills. Im not joking, that really is the case on the two biggest GTA subreddits.

 

Doesnt help that literally after any time Rockstar does something controversial, like the firing of Lezlie Benz or the report of Gunrunning creating the most profitable fiscal year for T2, there is ALWAYS a we must thank Rockstar for free updates thread to save the compants face. Guess what, those get gifted Reddit Gold too.

 

Rockstar has to make some incredibly brash decisions that it cant save itself from, like, keeping on using P2P servers and locking some vehicles exclusive to whomever bought shark cards. When that actually happens, the general public will truly acknowledge the predicament.

 

Yeah, and I'm tired with Rockstar treating the multiplayer as a completely different, standalone game by calling it GTA: Online, and not GTA V Online, which is what it literally is. They do this to make it look like GTA Online is a different title that is free-to-play, when it clearly isn't.

Edited November 11, 2017 by Arrows to Athens

[*Lola]

 

As long as Rockstar makes great games I don't mind microtransactions. It won't affect my game grinding style any.

That's like saying that you don't mind being worked to death on a farm as long as your feudalist overlords give you fancy tools to harvest those corns.

 

 

I've never felt like game grinding was work, more like a stress reliever.

I need a new great game to grind.

[JuniorChubb]

But competition is a beautiful thing.

 

It certainly is (and it hadn't really come into my thinking until you mentioned it), the lack of it certainly let's T2 take liberties. A game as appealing with a preferable/cheaper/free financial experience for the player might shake things up a bit.

[Quinn_flower]

 

 

 

As long as Rockstar makes great games I don't mind microtransactions. It won't affect my game grinding style any.

That's like saying that you don't mind being worked to death on a farm as long as your feudalist overlords give you fancy tools to harvest those corns.

 

Microtransactions affect your gameplay severely. The more adamant Rockstar and Take-Two are about microtransaction milking, the more time you'll spend on grinding than you'll ever spend on actually enjoying the game, and it's all just to push you into buying a shark card when you eventually break because they played with your addiction.

 

I advise everyone to not reach this level of ignorance. Continuing to give money to a company that proudly wears its predatory anti-consumerist tactics on its sleeves is just plain stupid.

 

Two words "Car Dupes". Currently the only way to fight T2 and win imo. There's more ways:

 

- Spread the word about how grindy the game really is to potential buyers.

- Glitch your money and convince others to do the same.

- Don't grief other players trying to make money in the game.

- Don't buy Shark Cards (duh).

 

They don't deserve our respect and our money.

Use a mod menu

[CosmicBuffalo]

The ability to cheat the system in gtao has really kept it going for me. If I was actually required to grind for all of the cars, helicopters, and things like that I would have quit around heists. Its been the steady stream of glitches that have allowed me to get enough money ingame to really enjoy the game. If RDR2 or 6, prevent this type of money making, it will not be as succuessful as gtao no matter how good it is. I am a firm believer that most regular players arent buying shark cards, but its the casuals that are. However, without regular players there are no casuals at least in multiplayer.

 

Its gonna be hard to recreate gtao without allowing the ability of regualr players to fudge the system. Like it or not, the glitchng community is part of gtao succuess. If R* discounts that, they are foolish.

Edited November 12, 2017 by GenericGTAO

[Xiled]

Think about the lower playerbase number if those with glitched money left.

[Malibu Club]

Who knows when gta will get a good competitor. That Everywhere game doesn't seem very promising to me with how pretentious it comes off as imo. We'll have to see when it comes out.

[xDatxJunkyx]

Who knows when gta will get a good competitor. That Everywhere game doesn't seem very promising to me with how pretentious it comes off as imo. We'll have to see when it comes out.

 

 

We need a competitor, someone who makes something akin to "The Sims". Instead of blowing each other to hell 24/7 we can engage in other things to further enrich the community.

 

There was a PC game called "Identity" that is or was being developed in which they were going to allow you to own a shop, have a actual legal job or engage in illegal acts, so on an so forth.

[DangerZ0neX]

I've never felt like game grinding was work, more like a stress reliever.

Grinding literally is a form of work, what are you talking about? Youre forcing yourself to do repetitive tasks in a timely manner to gain monetary funds to purchase toys.

 

The toys are the supposed stress relievers, the repetitive missions that are loaded with little bullsh*ts like overly accurate enemies are what cause the stress or increase it.

Edited November 12, 2017 by DangerZ0neX

[Picklez]

 

 

As long as Rockstar makes great games I don't mind microtransactions. It won't affect my game grinding style any.

That's like saying that you don't mind being worked to death on a farm as long as your feudalist overlords give you fancy tools to harvest those corns.

 

 

I've never felt like game grinding was work, more like a stress reliever.

I need a new great game to grind.

 

Gif completely unrelated I'm sure.

Edited November 12, 2017 by Picklez

[Jenkiiii]

Anyone who is still having difficulty understanding what is wrong with the basic GTA online creativity model, please take a ride to the top of the Maze Bank Tower and look around. Span around and you'll see a massive 'under construction' building about 200 metres away. It's been like that for FOUR years! There are technical and logistical reasons why this building hasn't been completed, but the real reason is because Rockstar and T2 haven't seen any opportunity to 'monetise' it yet.

 

This is everything that's wrong with GTA online. The city doesn't evolve naturally because there's no money it.

[ALifeOfMisery]

^^^ I'm genuinely surprised, given the current state of GTAO, that things like the Casino haven't been opened and/or the MHC hasn't been completed but that such content is locked behind cash obtained only through Shark Cards.

 

MHC, premium executive offices with access to all business laptops, 100 car storage and extra assistant perks like armor refills.

 

Casio Penthouse, comes with 20 car garage and instant, no cool down vehicle concierge service across all your garages.

 

Both available exclusively to our loyal Shark Card customers.

 

Like I said, it surprises me it hasn't happened, it will surprise me more if it never happens. It would also, however, directly precede my uninstalling of the game.

Edited November 12, 2017 by ALifeOfMisery

[Lonely-Martin]

directly precede my uninstalling of the game.

 

Yep!

[Big Molio]

Anyone who is still having difficulty understanding what is wrong with the basic GTA online creativity model, please take a ride to the top of the Maze Bank Tower and look around. Span around and you'll see a massive 'under construction' building about 200 metres away. It's been like that for FOUR years!

 

That's because every time you see a workman in Los Santos they are drinking coffee or stood around smoking. No wonder it isn't finished.

[RollsReus1959]

Games on console are becoming like those games on our phones. Those games that have you spending .99 or 4.99 except we have to pay that $60 for the game and then pay some more.

[Nutduster]

 

As long as Rockstar makes great games I don't mind microtransactions. It won't affect my game grinding style any.

That's like saying that you don't mind being worked to death on a farm as long as your feudalist overlords give you fancy tools to harvest those corns.

 

Microtransactions affect your gameplay severely. The more adamant Rockstar and Take-Two are about microtransaction milking, the more time you'll spend on grinding than you'll ever spend on actually enjoying the game, and it's all just to push you into buying a shark card when you eventually break because they played with your addiction.

 

I advise everyone to not reach this level of ignorance. Continuing to give money to a company that proudly wears its predatory anti-consumerist tactics on its sleeves is just plain stupid.

 

 

Agreed 100%.

 

I opted out of GTA Online after too long putting up with the grind. Have reverted to mainly single player games again - right now I'm hacking through Shadow of War (which yes, has loot boxes, but they were implemented very timidly - I'm halfway through the game and have yet to even really understand what benefit I'd get from them, let alone feel pressured to buy one). And I've got the Horizon Zero Dawn DLC paid for and on deck - now there's a developer doing things the old-fashioned way.

 

We owe it to ourselves as gamers to stop putting up with this sh*t, or it's just going to get worse and will transform the industry into nothing more than a bunch of free-to-play, pay-to-win milking machines.

Games on console are becoming like those games on our phones. Those games that have you spending .99 or 4.99 except we have to pay that $60 for the game and then pay some more.

 

To be fair, these games cost almost infinitely more to develop than mobile games. It's a less obviously shady business model and I fully understand that it's a lot harder to make money on a $60 AAA game today than it was ten years ago. Costs have gone up outrageously - that's why everything is trending in the direction of recurring revenue. Still, they need to find another approach, or lose my business. I'd rather pay $90 up front for a quality game, than $60 for a game where I'll either feel pressured to buy more on top of it, or the game will simply be way less fun (e.g. GTA Online if you're doing nothing but grinding).

Edited November 12, 2017 by Nutduster