Eric Monacelli, the former community strategist for Naughty Dog, has moved to defend the use of micro transactions, suggesting that gamers should pay for something if they really want it and provided the content is good enough.
Speaking during an interview with MCV, Monacelli, who has since moved onto Call of Duty developer, Infinity Ward, had a few words to share for gamers who are dismissive of micro transactions.
“Microtransactions tend to get a sort of negative connotation in the games industry," he explained. "If you remember back in the day, people bristled when they sold horse armour [for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]. It’s something that has always happened.
"But if it’s good enough content and you want to pay for it, why not pay for it? That’s what it comes down to."
Monacelli also played down the belief that much of the content used for micro transactions is cut from the main game, allowing developers to them sell it as DLC to players. He suggested that it’s simply up to the player to decide whether or not they wish to pay for extra content, using The Last of Us’ multiplayer weapons as an example: if you want the extra firepower, it’s there for you to buy.
“A lot of times I’ll hear people say: ‘That’s just something they cut from the game so you can pay for it.’ No, often it’s not," he retorted.
"A clear-cut example of that is the burst rifle in The Last of Us. A lot of people thought ‘Why are they charging for guns?’ We did the research and noticed that a lot of players were having trouble jumping into the game for the first time, so we wanted to give people a weapon that was easily accessible and would give them a bit of a leg-up. There were other weapons if they were a more experienced player that they could buy – it’s up to them. If you’re already kicking ass, you probably don’t need these, but if you want ’em, have ’em. It’s just a matter of personal preference.
“There are hot debates around this all the time in the office, because everybody’s got their own opinion. For me, the more thought that’s put into DLC, the more you should be able to charge for it, because it’s one of those things where you’re creating another game unto itself – The Last of Us: Left Behind was another game. It’s essentially the second Last of Us game, right?
"It’s work, and you should pay for good work.”
Naughty Dog is currently working on the fourth and final chapter in the Uncharted franchise, which will be released for PlayStation 4 on March 18, 2016.