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Diablo 4's latest microtransaction controversy is a $30 portal recolor: "You can get Palworld for this price"

Draugoth

Draugoth

Gold Member
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Blizzard is charging $30 for portal colors in Diablo 4, and players are having none of it.

From the recent confusion surrounding cosmetic items in Diablo 4's Lunar Awakening event, to what players deemed "mathematically the scummiest" coin reward Blizzard could have given battle pass purchasers in Season 1, the action RPG has had its fair share of controversy when it comes to paid content. Now players are once again up in arms, this time over portal colors that cost "almost half the price of the game."

Over on the Diablo 4 subreddit, user Mwatki20 sparked the conversation by posting an image of the Dark Pathways pack, which offers town portals in orange, green, purple, yellow, and blue, as well as 1000 Platinum for a considerable sum. "$20 for different color portals? LMFAO Blizz!" they write.
Click to expand...



Amazingly, it's even worse than that. As another player points out, the bundle actually costs $29.99, making it "almost half the price of [Diablo 4]." Further down in the comments, user Cmionor rightly says that for the same sum, you could purchase Pocketpair's 'Pokemon with Guns' sensation: "You can get Palworld for this price…just sayin…"

Adding salt to the wound is the fact that each color is locked to a specific class. "It isn't even just that it costs money," says WhiteVoltage. "I wouldn't necessarily mind paying $5 or something for it. But $30 for a portal that I might get two classes' worth of use out of? Hell no. Hay-ell no." Rather than being outraged, Patient_Competion4 finds the situation downright laughable, saying, "The fact that they're CLASS LOCKED is hilarious to me lmfao."

via GamesRadar
 
deeptech

deeptech

Member
It will still sell, if they could sell just 100 of them, which they will for sure, it'll turn a profit. What today is ridiculed, tomorrow is going to be normal, just like before.
 
StreetsofBeige

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I wouldnt pay 1 penny for mtx.

But as crazy as it seems, there's going to be people buying weapons skins, clothes, and now Diablo portal colours. If they sell 10,000 portals, thats $300,000 of mtx right there before any e-store cuts.

I dont know about you guys, but when I play games I dont give a shit what my character looks like. Whatever clothes or gear the game automatically equips for me is good enough. In the old COD games, there were only a handful of premade factions and character models. Every sniper in BF games looked the same in the same bushy uniform. Who cares.

But give whomever in the dev team props for thinking about it. It takes some kind of mentality in gaming to come up with crazy mtx ideas. 99% of people would never think of all the dumb mtx in gaming.
 
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StreetsofBeige

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Anyone close to gaming development know how things get monetized?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I dont imagine a graphics or audio guy making a game thinking about what things he made being monetized. I also dont see an accountant or finance guy not close enough to the game picking out what parts of a game should be monetized. I also dont see CEOs like Bobby Kotick guys sitting there all day playing a game and picking what parts of a game should be monetized either.

I'm guessing there's some kind of pseudo-role where he's close enough to the game, but also close enough to financial models, he can put two and two together and come up with mtx ideas and set a price.
 
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S0ULZB0URNE

S0ULZB0URNE

Member
Great way to mess up a good game.
I stopped playing last summer when Season 1 launched because of the nerfs.

I am keeping a eye on the expansion/s.
If they handle them right and they release a few months before POE2... I will jump back in.
 
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Haint

Haint

Member
SCB3 said:
Theres a lot more I could buy, Helldivers 2, Palworld, I think Suicide Squad was about that as well, fucking Colored portals
Click to expand...
Helldivers 2 sells actual pay 2 win stuff like weapons and shit, so might want to rethink that. At least D4s is all cosmetic nonsense noone over the age of 12 should give a flying fuck about cause they're not in elementary school showing off new shoes.
 
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jonnyXx

jonnyXx

Member
They are priced like this because they target whales not the average player. As long as whales exist they will continue charging unreasonable prices like this.

It's stupid, they shouldn't even be called micro transactions anymore.
 
Mamofish

Mamofish

Member
Genius! The higher price will make it more exclusive and those that buy it will feel like shit.. oops, I mean feel like the shit.
 
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Miyazaki’s Slave

Miyazaki’s Slave

Gold Member
StreetsofBeige said:
Anyone close to gaming development know how things get monetized?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I dont imagine a graphics or audio guy making a game thinking about what things he made being monetized. I also dont see an accountant or finance guy not close enough to the game picking out what parts of a game should be monetized. I also dont see CEOs like Bobby Kotick guys sitting there all day playing a game and picking what parts of a game should be monetized either.

I'm guessing there's some kind of pseudo-role where he's close enough to the game, but also close enough to financial models, he can put two and two together and come up with mtx ideas and set a price.
Click to expand...
There are marketing departments which focus solely on ROI/added value (MTX). Usually they pull data from across a publishers/studios portfolio of other games with MTX to see what monetizes with players and then works with the games/series designers to make sure they have the assets for the MTX they will be sold for the game.

In most cases asset folks (concept artists, character modelers, texture/vfx specialists, sound fx folks) get punch lists of assets to make. These assets don't always get added to a game and in some cases they become MTX (like the portals here). This is for large scale development, smaller studios would have more direct control over what they have as MTX.

In the image posted above each of the portals seem like they have unique activation as well as unique "active" effects so it does look, based on the picture, to be more than just a color swap. I think they are trying to do what PoE does...but their content (player perceived value) to cost is way off IMO. They would need to bundle this with their currency, some additional vanity effects, and some armor sets (or at least horses or something).
 
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NickFire

NickFire

Member
The in game store prices are crazy for this game. Honestly not sure why anyone would buy anything. On top of price is the camera angle. Skins just don't stick out like they do in some other games.
 
Codes 208

Codes 208

Member
Just when i thought 343i shat on its fanbase by making the classic mk4 a $20 kit with no customizations

This is just hilariously bad.
 
Radioskugga

Radioskugga

Member
Yeah I saw that about 10 days ago when I logged in. Made me laugh. The portal is something you see for about 2 seconds when you teleport. :D
 
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