Rax wrote:To be fair, I dont think any developer has the goal of "maximising consumer spend oppertunities", theyre focused on making a great game. Its the publishers & share holders who insist on this kind of stuff being present to try and maximise their returns.
I kinda see your point, Rax, and I guess it could be right in most cases... but I do struggle to agree when "excuses" are put up for this. I wonder just how far developers/publishers will go with in-game spending because it's ramping up at such a pace.
The big publishers now see in-game spending as a crucial pillar in their business. And, as it's business, I can understand that. But we've gone from "micro" transactions (pay 30p for this exta outfit!) to all-out rip-off (pay £59.99 - BEST VALUE! - for this gun to beat out your rivals!). Even the most greedy and frustrating approaches are waved through as, in the mass market, players won't know about these things until they've already bought the game.