Challenging Microtransactions: Opportunity for Player-Centric Monetization Models

Origin Reddit Post

r/technology

Ubisoft's annual financial report includes claim that monetizing games with microtransactions 'makes the player experience more fun' | Ubisoft's latest financial report defends monetization i

Posted by u/ControlCAD•07/21/2025

Top Comments

u/Prestigious_Cold_756

Just use mods or cheat engine to unlock all the premium skins/weapons like a normal person.

u/Ethroptur1

I wouldn’t be shocked if the company’s being actively sabotaged by malicious groups like private equity firms with short bets on the company.

u/ihadamoment

Yes, we can all agree gambling is "fun". Fun doesn't make it right. Try again. You can be a successful business without preying on the weakness of others. I believe in you. (unless it's like

u/dedjedi

Are you telling me that these executives keep making this decisions over and over and over again, and they are not profitable? Wow that's amazing

u/ItaJohnson

I think the last one I played was Revelations.

u/Bleusilences

Nah, it's way before that, they got a bit better during the mid late 2000s to go back to the way they were in the 2010s. Origin really did a number on EA in Ultima 7: [https://casualaggro.

u/Bleusilences

I actually uninstalled MTGA because of the monetization, it was getting too aggressive as they released new Magic set faster and faster. 4 was the sweet spot for me, 5-6 is too much.

u/TLKimball

End their madness with a sealed wallet.

u/SummerGoal

Do people still play Ubisoft games? I’m proud to say I haven’t touched them since 2018

u/Provid3nce

EA lives off of their sports franchise titles. Those things are like Pokemon where they release the same shit year after year and it just prints money. No amount of boycotting their other pro

u/ItaJohnson

I haven’t purchased an EA game in years or even a AAA game. I’m not even up to date as to what games have come out or are coming out.

u/ParkingCool6336

Of course they say that, fun is a very real and measurable KPI /s

u/ItaJohnson

I haven’t purchased an EA game in years or even a AAA game. I’m not even up to date as to what games have come out or are coming out.

u/Alskiessss

In game purchases are not necessarily a bad thing as long as the studio commits some revenue to ongoing game development and enhancements.

u/jpsreddit85

When you stop buying. That's the only choice you have. Why would they stop when people keep paying them to carry on.

u/Drolb

People are mostly fucking stupid and genuinely don’t think things through. They just do stuff and see what happens. Anyone who’s upset by that idea should consider that by simple mathematics,

u/Ebolatastic

Gamers also defend monetization with their wallets but then rebel with their mouths. I've been watching it happen for decades. PC gamers, shooter addicts, CCG players, and especially sports/

u/ErinDotEngineer

If by fun they mean addictive, then yes microtransactions are very profitable...er..fun, yes fun. Ubisoft is just jealous that they aren't Epic Games, when it comes to microtransactions. I

u/retroq

Not buying shitty Ubisoft games makes my player experience more fun

u/xXSpookyXx

I mean that's their rationale for calling it fun, but a nicer way of putting it would be "monetization increases engagement" and a plain language way of putting it would be "monetization will

u/ParkingCool6336

Of course they say that, fun is a very real and measurable KPI /s

u/GL1TCH3D

It might still exist but it would be $90 for act 1 only and then a $500 season pass for the 2 future expansions (planned 2033) + “core cosmetics” and then have even more cosmetics for side pu

u/HolyPommeDeTerre

Yeah, because that's how they get their fun. They are not playing the game.

u/Dennarb

I've been replaying Halo on the MCC on steam and I haven't had this much fun gaming in awhile. I miss the 2000s for gaming. Things just felt better, games were games, games were actually fun

u/Prestigious_Cold_756

Just use mods or cheat engine to unlock all the premium skins/weapons like a normal person.

u/MonsterGuitarSolo

I’ve stopped playing their games altogether due to micro transactions.

u/CriticalNovel22

The vast majority of gamers just want to play games. They don't spend their time online moaning about games manufacturers and don't really know or care.

u/Crazymoh

Last Ubisoft game I gave a chance after years was Valhalla. Being forced to use their shitty launcher and seeing the micro transaction store in a single player game was the last straw. They d

u/retroq

Not buying shitty Ubisoft games makes my player experience more fun

u/Guilty-Mix-7629

A friend forced me to play Far Cry 6 with him despite me telling him we would regret it. At the end of the extremely buggy and mid playthrough, he finally admitted we wasted our money. He too

u/Curious_Document_956

No, it’s not true. It was addiction to a lot of people. If those games servers are not online anymore, or you don’t have the email and account anymore, you lost all those digital cosmetics.

u/CriticalNovel22

The vast majority of gamers just want to play games. They don't spend their time online moaning about games manufacturers and don't really know or care.

u/una322

ther awful. any MT that toally ruins the immersion / setting of said game just a huge turn off. Whats the point of trying to make a realistic world setting when you can just buy a undead moun

u/jpsreddit85

When you stop buying. That's the only choice you have. Why would they stop when people keep paying them to carry on.

u/gravtix

That was one of my favourite games of all time and the EA references went over my head until years later. But yeah they killed Origin systems and the Ultima series.

u/DarklyDreamingEva

Fuck ubisoft, and fuck their updated terms of service. If i pay to buy a game, they don’t get to tell me when to delete just because they don’t want to provide support for it any longer.

u/newellz

Stop buying their games then. All you do is climb shit and look for other shit to climb so you can open the sandbox up and go fetch, find, or kill. Their narratives trying to justify the sand

u/ErgoMachina

Entropy cannot be reversed

u/zeptyk

when there are shareholders that are never satisfied enough no

u/ConinTheNinoC

You're right. If Fentanyl was really bad nobody would spend their money on it. /s

u/9-11GaveMe5G

Is this some FinDom roleplay?

u/Voleran

Each Pictos would be a dollar and Color of lumina bundles would be $5/$10/$25/$50

u/MonsterGuitarSolo

I’ve stopped playing their games altogether due to micro transactions.

u/WatRedditHathWrought

So, I couldn’t remember the last Ubisoft game I played so I took a look at their discography and only see one game, The Division from 2016. And I’m pretty sure it came with a graphics card I

u/baldycoot

I love the endorphin rush of inserting coins. Oh wait, wrong era: inserting $50 notes.

u/SwankyBobolink

I mean they released Split Fiction (granted just as a publisher not a dev) and that slaps. At least EA Originals branch is good

u/Badj83

*shocked Pikachu*

u/9-11GaveMe5G

Is this some FinDom roleplay?

u/DarklyDreamingEva

Fuck ubisoft, and fuck their updated terms of service. If i pay to buy a game, they don’t get to tell me when to delete just because they don’t want to provide support for it any longer.

u/ErinDotEngineer

If by fun they mean addictive, then yes microtransactions are very profitable...er..fun, yes fun. Ubisoft is just jealous that they aren't Epic Games, when it comes to microtransactions. I

u/mcs5280

Will the enshitification ever end?

u/Drolb

People are mostly fucking stupid and genuinely don’t think things through. They just do stuff and see what happens. Anyone who’s upset by that idea should consider that by simple mathematics,

u/gravtix

I’m so glad an Ex-Ubisoft employee made his own company and made Expedition 33. That game would never exist if Ubisoft made it.

u/Future-Bandicoot-823

Well, if you look around the world right now there's an alarming number of people who just love to suffer, and they encourage it for themselves and others. It's pretty on brand with humanity!

u/GL1TCH3D

Nah Pictos would be more for sure And you’d have a “starter bundle” to give you cheater right from the start

u/ErgoMachina

Entropy cannot be reversed

u/Adrian_Alucard

Well, it's true, isn't it? if they were bad nobody would spend their money on those

u/officialraylong

Ubisoft is run by scum.

u/GL1TCH3D

EA has been pretty awful since at least the early 2010s.

u/Crazymoh

Last Ubisoft game I gave a chance after years was Valhalla. Being forced to use their shitty launcher and seeing the micro transaction store in a single player game was the last straw. They d

u/Dennarb

I've been replaying Halo on the MCC on steam and I haven't had this much fun gaming in awhile. I miss the 2000s for gaming. Things just felt better, games were games, games were actually fun

u/coltwalker386

Or Codemasters when EA bought them Hm, maybe there's some pattern here...

u/Optimal_scientists

Well the numbnuts keep buying so they'll keep selling. They're a crack dealer at this point. Personally not buying any games that have these types of systems in them anymore. There's a massiv

u/GabuEx

Anakin: "Microtransactions make games more fun." Padme: "For the player, right? :)" Anakin: Padme: "For the player, right? :I"

u/Rusty_fox4

What is Ubisoft doing? Do they not know what's the public sentiment towards them is right now? It's like everytime Ubisoft is in the news it's them digging their own grave even deeper.

u/ErinDotEngineer

Nothing is safe from inflation, it would seem.

u/Ebolatastic

I've seen it going on since the problem started with MMORPGs. Meanwhile, 30 years later, it's used as a bullshit criteria to shit on games/companies while others get a complete pass. This wh

u/RobertoPaulson

I do have more fun though. By playing some other game instead.

u/ItaJohnson

EA was one of the most hated companies, if my memory is correct and people still purchase their games. I don’t get it personally.

u/ihadamoment

Yes, we can all agree gambling is "fun". Fun doesn't make it right. Try again. You can be a successful business without preying on the weakness of others. I believe in you. (unless it's like

u/Kurauk

Honestly they fit the Tencent model perfectly. But lets me real, they are worse than EA at this point.

u/Bleusilences

After I read the blogpost I linked, I kind of fell in a rabbit hole and manage to find that Shroud of Avatar, a game made by Garriot, wasn't successful and was full of MTX. Seems that him an

u/GL1TCH3D

It might still exist but it would be $90 for act 1 only and then a $500 season pass for the 2 future expansions (planned 2033) + “core cosmetics” and then have even more cosmetics for side pu

u/newellz

Stop buying their games then. All you do is climb shit and look for other shit to climb so you can open the sandbox up and go fetch, find, or kill. Their narratives trying to justify the sand

u/Salty-Image-2176

Of course it does: dumbasses keep buying up games that include them, so it's obviously a fun experience for them.

u/Guilty-Mix-7629

A friend forced me to play Far Cry 6 with him despite me telling him we would regret it. At the end of the extremely buggy and mid playthrough, he finally admitted we wasted our money. He too

u/Guilty-Mix-7629

If you stop in front of Ubisoft HQ, you will probably notice through the windows that the executives meetings are these 40 minutes sessions of people covering their ears and yelling "BABABABA

u/Adrian_Alucard

Well, it's true, isn't it? if they were bad nobody would spend their money on those

u/NeonMagic

All of the assassins creed micro transactions suck. All of it is way too Fortnite. I have zero desire to purchase any of them.

u/MaybeMort

Ah yes, its for our enjoyment.

u/baldycoot

I love the endorphin rush of inserting coins. Oh wait, wrong era: inserting $50 notes.

u/Potential_Status_728

Online games turned into pure gambling by now, so sad, I used to like them.

u/Optimal_scientists

The most creative shill from Ubisoft right here

u/TLKimball

End their madness with a sealed wallet.

u/Guilty-Mix-7629

If you stop in front of Ubisoft HQ, you will probably notice through the windows that the executives meetings are these 40 minutes sessions of people covering their ears and yelling "BABABABA

u/rassen-frassen

FU...n?

u/ItaJohnson

EA was one of the most hated companies, if my memory is correct and people still purchase their games. I don’t get it personally.

u/Ebolatastic

I've seen it going on since the problem started with MMORPGs. Meanwhile, 30 years later, it's used as a bullshit criteria to shit on games/companies while others get a complete pass. This wh

u/gravtix

Not until game companies stop being led by people with MBAs and zero passion for gaming. Same thing happened to BioWare once EA bought them.

u/gravtix

I’m so glad an Ex-Ubisoft employee made his own company and made Expedition 33. That game would never exist if Ubisoft made it.

u/Curious_Document_956

No, it’s not true. It was addiction to a lot of people. If those games servers are not online anymore, or you don’t have the email and account anymore, you lost all those digital cosmetics.

u/Salty-Image-2176

Of course it does: dumbasses keep buying up games that include them, so it's obviously a fun experience for them.

u/Gambit3le

Literal cancer on the industry.

u/coltwalker386

Or Codemasters when EA bought them Hm, maybe there's some pattern here...

u/Curious_Document_956

In my opinion, Console games were the best when it was the Halo 16-player lan days. Halo 2 and Call of Duty titles did it right with significant DLC, new maps & weapons, when Xbox live &a

u/GL1TCH3D

EA has been pretty awful since at least the early 2010s.

u/HolyPommeDeTerre

Yeah, because that's how they get their fun. They are not playing the game.

u/gravtix

Not until game companies stop being led by people with MBAs and zero passion for gaming. Same thing happened to BioWare once EA bought them.

u/Zechert

Keep crying your heart out lil bro :D

u/ConinTheNinoC

You're right. If Fentanyl was really bad nobody would spend their money on it. /s

u/DasGanon

[We just need a more powerful computer.](https://users.ece.cmu.edu/~gamvrosi/thelastq.html)

u/Zechert

Waah waah wwaaaaaaaaaahh!

u/Guilty-Mix-7629

The only "more fun experience" at this point is watching people still falling for Ubisoft scams while it is years that you stopped buying them as you keep trying to tell others to do the same

u/Future-Bandicoot-823

Well, if you look around the world right now there's an alarming number of people who just love to suffer, and they encourage it for themselves and others. It's pretty on brand with humanity!

u/ItaJohnson

Yeah, gamers are just as guilty with their willingness to support the behavior by spending.

u/Ebolatastic

Gamers also defend monetization with their wallets but then rebel with their mouths. I've been watching it happen for decades. PC gamers, shooter addicts, CCG players, and especially sports/

u/Rusty_fox4

What is Ubisoft doing? Do they not know what's the public sentiment towards them is right now? It's like everytime Ubisoft is in the news it's them digging their own grave even deeper.

u/ItaJohnson

I think the last one I played was Revelations.

u/IAMA_Plumber-AMA

Or Westwood when EA bought them.

u/Gambit3le

Literal cancer on the industry.

u/NeonMagic

All of the assassins creed micro transactions suck. All of it is way too Fortnite. I have zero desire to purchase any of them.

u/MaybeMort

Ah yes, its for our enjoyment.

u/NeonMagic

Exactly! I can’t see how there’s a market for those things. The armor, the hideouts, all of it. Mounts? You could still get a little creative with it, like a tiger or moose or whatever, but

u/GabuEx

Anakin: "Microtransactions make games more fun." Padme: "For the player, right? :)" Anakin: Padme: "For the player, right? :I"

u/ErinDotEngineer

Nothing is safe from inflation, it would seem.

u/Guilty-Mix-7629

The only "more fun experience" at this point is watching people still falling for Ubisoft scams while it is years that you stopped buying them as you keep trying to tell others to do the same

u/Fheredin

Yes, the games are so much more fun with microtransactions that we have to layoff staff.

u/SummerGoal

Do people still play Ubisoft games? I’m proud to say I haven’t touched them since 2018

u/IAMA_Plumber-AMA

Or Westwood when EA bought them.

u/Bleusilences

I am going to double post because I realized I had a better example: I stopped playing the division 2 because the MTX killed the enjoyment of the game. I don't mind paying for a DLC, I do mi

u/xXSpookyXx

I mean that's their rationale for calling it fun, but a nicer way of putting it would be "monetization increases engagement" and a plain language way of putting it would be "monetization will

u/mcs5280

Will the enshitification ever end?

u/dedjedi

It's definitely not the idiots who keeps sending those shareholders money. Definitely not, those shareholders make money out of thin air and do not need consumers to buy their garbage in orde

u/Alskiessss

In game purchases are not necessarily a bad thing as long as the studio commits some revenue to ongoing game development and enhancements.

u/gravtix

The game would be an action RPG not turn based. It would probably be some sort of AC spinoff since original IP are too risky for the suits. Assassin’s Creed: Lumière? Monoco would be DL

u/rassen-frassen

FU...n?

u/ItaJohnson

Yeah, gamers are just as guilty with their willingness to support the behavior by spending.

u/Curious_Document_956

In my opinion, Console games were the best when it was the Halo 16-player lan days. Halo 2 and Call of Duty titles did it right with significant DLC, new maps & weapons, when Xbox live &a

u/dedjedi

ding ding ding In an open market, shitty seller behavior is the buyer's problem.

u/Optimal_scientists

Well the numbnuts keep buying so they'll keep selling. They're a crack dealer at this point. Personally not buying any games that have these types of systems in them anymore. There's a massiv

u/DasGanon

[We just need a more powerful computer.](https://users.ece.cmu.edu/~gamvrosi/thelastq.html)

u/una322

ther awful. any MT that toally ruins the immersion / setting of said game just a huge turn off. Whats the point of trying to make a realistic world setting when you can just buy a undead moun

u/SwankyBobolink

I mean they released Split Fiction (granted just as a publisher not a dev) and that slaps. At least EA Originals branch is good

u/Badj83

*shocked Pikachu*

Origin Reddit Post

r/technology

Ubisoft's annual financial report includes claim that monetizing games with microtransactions 'makes the player experience more fun' | Ubisoft's latest financial report defends monetization i

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