Activision Patents Manipulative Microtransaction-Based Matchmaking

Good news for gamers - microtransactions are due to die down in 2018! Such are the conclusions of Doug Creutz - an analyst with the investment banking firm Cowen - who says that the smart money is on game developers dialing back their efforts to push microtransactions as a means of profit-building in the year to c


The Prometheus Lens weapon contains Prismatic Inferno, which means it fires "a solar trace beam that generates a damaging heat field that grows while the weapon continues to fire." What's more, kills obtained with the Prometheus Lens replenishes the weapon's ammo and even extends the beam its


As a result, players will see XP earn rates change for all activities across the board, but with all values being displayed consistently in the user interface. Over the course of the next week, we will be watching and reviewing XP game data to ensure that these changes meet our expectations, as well as yours. Any additional updates to this system will be communicated to you via our official chann


It includes: economy updates (vendors & acquiring their gear, tokens, legendary shards), investment updates (new reward systems for weapons & armor) gameplay updates, and more. (1/2)— Luke Smith (@thislukesmith) November 25,


Dedicated Destiny 2 collectibles|https://destiny2mix.com/ 2 players discovered that Bungie was up to no good with the game's XP system which allows players to continue earning experience after reaching the max level cap of 20. By 'levelling up' beyond 20, players would earn a Bright Engram , the game's version of loot boxes. These loot boxes of course are part of the Eververse store, the hub for real money microtransactions so the rate at which that extra XP, and hence, Bright Engrams, are earned is an important part of the g


Nezarec's Sin (costs 23 Legendary Shards) is an exotic Warlock class helmet that has Abyssal Extractors, which enable users who get Void-damage kills to increase their ability energy recharge rate. As with most other Warlock gear, Nezarec's Sin is balanced across the board, with a legendary mod that improves weapon handling for energy weapons. Unless players want to upgrade their helmet, most Warlock users may already have Nezarec's Sin and would want to skip it this w


The weekly Xbox **** deals are now live and they include dozens of different Xbox One title at a discount price. There are even some Xbox 360 games that are incredibly cheap and serve to highlight the system's unique backwards compatibility. Similarly to the PlayStation Store sales this week, Ubisoft steals the show by offering many Assassin's Creed titles on sale at a hefty reduct

This is a great time to stock up on any Assassin's Creed games, but there's plenty of other great titles on sale this week. For example, Thumper is one of the best rhythm games released this generation and is 60% off. Additionally, the recently released Burnout Paradise Remastered , an undeniable classic, is 30%


MK 44. Stand Asides (costs 23 Legendary Shards) are exotic Titan class boots that "grants an overshield when sprinting at full health with Seismic Strike, Hammer Strike, or Shield Bash equipped." And hit with one of those abilities equipped will recharge a portion of the user's melee ene


Prometheus Lens (costs 29 Legendary Shards) is an exotic Trace Rifle that's considered to be the strongest weapon in the game right now. It's overpowered, especially in PvP, thus giving players who wield the exotic weapon an edge over those who don't. While Bungie plans on nerfing the weapon on December 12, they decided to temporarily give everyone a fighting chance (and wreak some havoc at the same time) by making the Trace Rifle available for everyone to purchase as Xur. The funny thing is, Prometheus Lens' inclusion may have been brought about by a Redditor vowing to shave his head if Xur sold the wea


This paragraph is the very definition of pay-to-win, with in-game purchases resulting in the reward of manufactured victories. The patent goes on to suggest a deeper level of specificity to the system, suggesting that it could deliberately manipulate beginners into purchases by matching them with expert players with a playing style that the beginner wishes to emul


Rolling Stone first reported the story about Activision's new patent, which is described as a " computer-implemented method of driving microtransactions in a multi-player game ". The story has since been picked up by news outlets and YouTubers like Downward Thrust , who broke down the patent and what it could mean for the future of gaming. Take a look at the video be


Call of Duty WWII __ developer Activision have been granted a patent for a new matchmaking system - one that analyzes player behavior and tweaks their gaming experiences to encourage microtransactions. Loot Boxes and in-game purchases have become increasingly controversial, with more triple-A games releasing with some variation of this component. The recent beta for Star Wars Battlefont II raised the issue of how monetized loot boxes have become problematic. Likewise, the full release of Middle-earth: Shadow of War has been criticized for being pay-to-win, with a Loot Chest system that allows players to use real-world money to purchase followers, gear, and even