Even though it has seen better days, the RPG genre still has a solid fan base. There are many gamers who wish to recapture that feeling they had during the early years of World of Warcraft. Unfortunately, developing a great MMO RPG is really expensive. Moreover, nobody can guarantee that it will live up to the expectations and become profitable. The latest example is the New World, a highly anticipated title developed by Amazon. Now several months in, it seems like no one is even talking about it. But, what does this have to do with RPGs Gacha elements? Well, everything. Let’s talk about new MMO games and how they are monetized to ensure success.
One of the reasons is Having a Big Player Base
Making an RPG is different from making a new Football game or a new poker game. You need to surprise players, have extensive lore and backstory, and all of that needs to be reflected in the in-game world or environment.
On top of it all, you need a vast player community in order for them to care about that world. The best way to ensure this is to make the content free-to-play. This makes it more difficult to get a return on your investment.
Many businesses that deal with online entertainment give users freebies. Casino and sports betting sites want you to experience the fun for free so that you will eventually pay to play. An example of this would be operator Gala Spins which offers a neat bonus on the initial deposit.
We selected this as a single example but at this platform, you will find other operators. Here you can find casinos with no wagering bonuses which are basically free-to-play or risk-free gambling content. However, the idea is that users have a good time, and positive experience, and start to care enough to spend money.
In RPG games, if you have a big community, people will want to keep the game going, but sooner or later there will be a content drought due to the length of development cycles. As a result, you need to ensure there is enough funds until the new big content patch comes in.
Because Gacha Games are Profitable
There are different ways to monetize digital assets in a free RPG. Typically developers can create assets or features that users can purchase:
- Cosmetics
- Vehicles or mounts for easier transport
- Inventory space
- Additional character slots
- Changing the race/gender/faction of the character
However, players don’t like when someone sells power or advantages which are often included in gacha purchases. These are loot boxes that potentially contain rare resources which are used for advancing player power.
Players get random stuff so in order to get what they want they need to spend more and more. Also, many regard loot boxes as means of exploiting kids for profit, which makes developers look irresponsible. The good thing is that almost every online game with gacha elements allows players to obtain the same items or resources without spending money.
Is This Bad?
If you were to ask hardcore players this is a bad feature. However, developers see it as a monetization method that will result in a frustrating experience for some users. After all, people who spent on loot boxes expect to have an advantage, otherwise, there isn’t much point in spending.
Moreover, a lot of players are busy and would lag behind if there weren’t any purchasable power-ups. The idea is that those with free time and not enough funds will be able to grind their way to important resources to stay competitive. Those with more money and lack of time will simply buy them.
Is This Gambling?
The majority of gacha titles are considered a money grab or pay-to-win, but some of them are also accused of promoting gambling. If there is no way for a player to sell the goods they got through loot boxes, or if those items are account bound, then it’s not gambling.
However, if you can buy loot boxes, and then trade those rare items, then that could create a problem. Since you are buying random stuff that potentially has monetary value in the real world, it’s easy to draw a parallel. Genshisn Impact is an example of an RPG with lots of gacha elements. However, it isn’t gambling, because you cannot trade it.
CS: GO isn’t an RPG but it does feature loot boxes where you can get rare cosmetics. This however was considered gambling, and many third-party websites organize betting using these skins.
Conclusion
We will likely continue to see this way of monetization, especially in free-to-play titles. Players might not like it, but the numbers speak for themselves. It’s a sure way for developers to generate revenue, and they want to keep their customers happy.
Unfortunately, it is sad to see the same features in those games that you purchased or pay for them on a monthly basis. The team is already making money, so adding another cash grab on top of it is infuriating.
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