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This is all a race to the bottom and we're all going to be worse off for it. These subscription services started off innocuous enough by recycling old content,
by xyzzy_plugh 4y ago
This is all a race to the bottom and we're all going to be worse off for it. These subscription services started off innocuous enough by recycling old content, injecting life and cash into nearly dead (but good!) titles. And the subscriptions ate and ate and ate. And now they sign deals with studios before the game is even off the ground. Don't even get me started on all the acquisitions.
In the modern world of the internet, providing both a platform and a service ultimately stifles competition which ultimately harms consumers.
It's great that small studios are reaping the wild cash injections due to Game Pass, or PS+ or Apple's thing. It can be a life changing amount of funding. I'm happy for them. But it can't continue indefinitely without extinguishing the entire industry.
It's getting harder and more expensive to publish, whether bootstrapped or otherwise. And the publishers are rapidly conglomerating.
The early 21st century was ripe with rampant piracy and unbundling. And now we're practically worse than where we started. We own less, nothing is portable, we are slaves to the recurring subscription, and we must sell ourselves to the platform to put food on the table.
It's all so depressing.
- Victerius 4y agoI haven't bought a new game since 2021. At this point, I'm prepared to give up on video games completely. Once the multiplayer servers of the 2-3 games I still play[1] are shut down. Now I'm growing my book collection instead. No subscriptions, DLC or microtransactions for those at least. [1] Star Wars Battlefront II (2017), Ace Combat 7, and Mass Effect Legendary Edition
- eertami 4y ago> Now I'm growing my book collection instead. No subscriptions, DLC or microtransactions for those at least No subscriptions, DLC, or microtransactions... yet.
- thesuperbigfrog 4y ago> > Now I'm growing my book collection instead. No subscriptions, DLC or microtransactions for those at least > No subscriptions, DLC, or microtransactions... yet. Hopefully not the future: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.en.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.en.html
- toyg 4y agoTechnically, 150 years ago novels were actually born out of subscriptions - to the magazines and newspapers that would publish their serialised chapters, effectively funding production of a book at later stage.
- causality0 4y agoThere are still great games that aren't riddled with microttansactiona coming out. Death Stranding DX, Bugsnax, etc.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- thrwyoilarticle 4y agoCompanies paying for exclusives so customers will pay to access exclusives feels like bad economics. It's reduces the number of people something can be sold to. My best explanation is that it's developers and content creators selling potential upside in return for reducing their risk - Microsoft can diversify between multiple games. I suppose it's a bit like advertising a platform that makes money via advertising, which hasn't collapsed yet.
- stale2002 4y ago> I'm happy for them. But it can't continue indefinitely without extinguishing the entire industry. Studios are free to not publish on those subscription services if they don't want to. It seems odd to complain that consumers are able to get a wealth of content for cheap. If the business model doesn't work, don't put the game on gamepass.