Microsoft Not Ruling Out Avatar Microtransactions
It is a sad truth that microtransactions are very appealing to the game industry. Why make $60 in one shot when you can make $200 over the course of a year through impulse priced items? I know I fall victim to the "It's just $5" trap all the time. It seems reasonable to assume that this will happen to just about any product that has a model that could support it.
What about Microsoft's new Avatar system? It was initially described as being transaction free, allowing users to have the full gambit of tools and accessories from the get go, letting users customize their little polygonal selves this fall. Well, the answer to that is it is all free... for now. Game exec John Schappert when presented with the question responded with this:
That may be in the future. In the near term, we want to launch these with great customization and a great library of accessories this fall. I think there is a lot more we can do with them. You will see us continue to add experiences that make use of the avatar.
I think it's pretty safe to say that it's going to happen one way or another, the feature is going to be free at launch after all. Microsoft already makes money off gamer pictures, themes, games, movies, and pretty much anything that is customizable as it stands. We can all just hope that they do not skimp on the initial batch to try to force people into purchases.
Q&A: Microsoft game exec John Schappert talks about Xbox Live, Netflix deal, and Blu-ray [VentureBeat]
Asterick
Posted to Video Games on 4 August 2008
· Comments (3)
Other stuff like this: avatars, marketplace, microsoft, microtransactions, xbox 360
Yet another reason I'm not interested in the Avatar thing at all. I only found Miis to be interesting for about 5 minutes, and this really isn't catching my eye any more than it did when Nintendo did it.
I think virtual characters are only going to be interesting if you can actually do things with them. Nintendo really dropped the ball on the Miis. They're only included in a small handful of games, and other than that, they're not much use. Sony's Home seems like a better use of virtual characters, but they still haven't gotten that up and running to be released. The Avatars look realistic like Sony's but they're just going to be used in games like Nintendo's. Hopefully more, though!
As for the microtransactions, I have no doubt that Microsoft will offer up some general features to start, but specific hair and clothes are going to cost money. Or points, I should say. It's one of the things that surprises me the most about the Marketplace. I see free themes and icons all over the PSN releases, but Microsoft wants to charge you to have an ad for a theme. Go figure.
If you want the option to soup up your avatar and go to town with customization, Microsoft is (would be) simply offering it to their customers. There's nothing in here that says you MUST do this, and you MUST pay for this. I think this is falling in line with the growing trend of balancing the micro transaction model vs. the pay to p0wn. Offering customization....who could argue with that?