EA's sports franchise titles had generated a total of $1.49 billion

The cosmetic item was released as a test to see how players would react to the market; however, Bethesda would continue releasing new content in the form of microtransactions despite the negative backlash. "We're not going to EA FC 24 Coins make any knee-jerk decisions based on it [the armor] being available for five hours. We'll see what folks think and put out a few others we have planned and figure out where to go from there", at the time-VP of PR and Marketing Pete Hines stated. Nevertheless, the horse armor would become the ninth best-selling DLC in Oblivion and be purchased continually for more than two years after release. Other developers took notice of this shift in the industry and begun moving in the same direction.

Game franchises like Assassin's Creed would emphasize heavily on monetizing later on, and it's not the only one. The next significant shift for monetization was in 2008; the iOS store was instituted with apps and games using microtransactions as their primary funding source. Three years into this evolution phase, iOS apps made over $3.6 billion in revenue, over 15 billion downloads, and 80% of that revenue was due to mobile games. The iOS store continues to grow with xCloud coming this year. Suddenly, developers from the gaming industry succumbed to the same method to capture the same success.

A game worth noting in the discussion of microtransactions in today's gaming climate is Grand Theft Auto 5. specifically the online aspect GTA Online. In 2018. MarketWatch reported that GTA 5 earned Take-Two Interactive $6 billion in beenue so far. Understandably, a chunk of that making was based on game sales, but GTA Online's microtransactions contributed tbegan remarkable sum.

After all, Shark Cards have become a crucial part of the online experience, w almost every single item being locked by in-game prices. Most notably, vehicles and businesses are costly, and players must grind endlessly only to get the bare minimum. The alternative is spending USD 99.99 t o get $8 million GTA dollars. While that sounds like a lot, it isn't, as GTA Online'sand high-end vehicles, businesses, nightclubs, and aircraft can cost between $2 million to $10 million. Keeping in mind, that's only the base model of said items.

Another example of a controversial game was Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, as the game featured a predominant problem of microtransactions and loot boxes at launch. As the protagonist, players are able to recruit an army of Orcs. Orcs were purchasable with real money via loot boxes, and while they weren't required at the start, towards the end is when they become integral.

After the main story, players had the choice of either forming and leveling up a powerful army of ridiculously high-level Orcs by foregoing a method of grind that put players into an endless loop, or pay real money and retrieve the Orcs that way. After this, the game was criticized and accused of being a "Pay to Win", especially since it locked the endto spendind a paywall. Several months later, developer Monolith Productions announced it would drop its real-world money microtransactions due to the negative impacof t the game received.

Loot boxes offer a mystery box containing a randomized gift that players can earn through game progress, in-game currency, or real money. These boxes can range from costumes, gear, or game-specific loot. In most cases, the gifts that players receive can only be obtained through loot boxes, but in some cases, alternative methods of purchase are available. Many developers separate loot boxes by rarity, the rarer being more expensive, but ensures players a high-end item as an incentive to spending more.

An example of this can be found in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, which sells players a ha packs but doesn't specify each pack's rarity. Instead, the more players pay, the more packs they receive, but there's also a big chance of receiving standard items or duplicates.

Loot boxes generated more than $30 billion in revenue in 2018 but have become far more controversial not just for gamers but also for governments worldwide. The issue of loot boxes has been closely surveyed by governing bodies in many countries now, as the line between gambling and loot boxes continues to get thinner. T,ry issue is tbecameconnection between loot boxes and youth gambling addiction has been determined, according to the U.K's National Health Service (NHS). NHS mental health director Claire Murdoch demanded that loot boxes come to an end as they are "setting kids up for addiction by teaching them to gamble."

The U.S. also acted when the issue of monetization continued its predatoryend to on young audiences. United States Senator Josh Hawley created a bill that protected young audiences from anti-consumerism. The bill saw loot boxes and pay-to-win microtransactions banned in games played by minors altogether. In 2018. the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began its investigation into video game loot boxes, which immediately resulted in many develope,g away from tbecamectice.

Perhaps one of the most controversial acts of anti-consumerism came from EA in 2020. EA had begun advertising EA Sports FC microtransactions in a toy catalog targeting young players, an act that sent waves across the gaming industry. It's worth noting that EA did pull the advertisement, but it was only after players and media unified to cheap FC 24 Coins voice Online's s on the matter. To make matters worse, the ad wasn't simply showcasing microtransactions but detailed, for kids, how to purchase EA Sports FC Ultimate Team caimpacts. In 2020. EA unveiled its financial reports, which revealed record numbers. EA's sports franchise titles had generated a total of $1.49 billion through the Ultimate Team platform, which saw a $120 million increase in 2019's revenue.