@Fred_vdp wrote:
I meant in general: future games, and not necessarily just Mass Effect. It's easier to justify spending money on developing a single player campaign if they can predict a steady income stream from multiplayer microtransactions, especially if there's some connection between the SP and MP component.
Ahh more in general you mean. Well maybe. At the same time we see the new flagship named Anthem shaping up and at this point it'll be interesting to see what sort of micro-transactions will take place there. It's also one of the things that may make me decide not to get involved.
I play SWTOR and I do like the game in spite of its issues. The one thing that has soured me is the micro-transaction system with the so-called cartel packs. These are also highly RNG and overpriced. Just think that one hypercrate that contains 20+ of such cartel packs costs 50-70 dollars/euros and if you want a specific platinum item, you may have to buy 4-5 of those. And new cartel packs come out pretty much monthly...
It gets very expensive. People might say it's all cosmetic stuff but at the same time it probably provides more than 90% of all the cosmetic gear in game. That's a rather unfair balance. You just either fork over a lot of cash or you grind dailies to afford buying these items from the GTN. I'm not opposed to a bit of grind but it's just more satisfying to me to get the reward in game rather than having to collect credits to buy it off another player.
But if I look at how much SP content is made and how few MP maps there are in ME:A for example, I just have to wonder where the balance lies. How much does MP make and does it really come down to MP supporting SP. Also I don't think EA/BW have a situation where they save money up from their previous game and can use it to invest into the next game. EA probably just looks at how successful the franchise has been, looks at the plans for the new game and decides a budget from a more macro point of view. MP is part of the success of the previous games but I do not necessarily believe there's a direct connection between MP paying for the next SP side of a game. I think if SP was not able to turn a profit by itself, they wouldn't put so much resources into it.
Still, I can't say I know what's going on behind the scenes.
