Developers and players view microtransactions differently. However, Ubisoft thinks monetization “makes the player experience more fun”, according to a 380-page annual financial report released by the company.
Under the “Group Business Model and Strategy”, the company said, “Ubisoft is committed to creating gaming experiences that enhance players’ lives and environments in which they can fully enjoy the gaming experience with their friends in complete safety”.
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The first step the company mentioned in this regard is “the creation of games that offer more than just entertainment”. The second strategy, which suggested that players of premium Ubisoft games love to spend more to personalize their experience, got a lot of people talking. You will find this on page 10 of the document, and it reads:
“The adoption of monetization and engagement policies that respect the player experience and are sustainable in the long term. At Ubisoft, the golden rule when developing premium games is to allow players to enjoy the game in full without having to spend more. Our monetization offer within premium games makes the player experience more fun by allowing them to personalize their avatars or progress more quickly, however this is always optional.”
Ubisoft bares its strategy for monetization
The entire document contains 36 mentions of monetization. On page 11, the company mentioned that their games must be flexible to adopt the three main methods of monetization, namely, premium, free-to-play, and subscription.
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“New methods of gaming and forms of monetization have emerged in recent years on PCs and consoles, Ubisoft’s traditional segments,” the company said.
“This is the case in particular with regard to the ‘free-to-play’ and subscription models which, in parallel with the ‘premium’ model, offer the possibility of reaching a wider and more diverse public and strengthening player engagement.
“Live games/games-as-a-service (which continuously offer new content) are becoming increasingly predominant in video game industry revenue. Their success depends mainly on the publisher’s ability to handle player acquisition/ retention and game monetization, without compromising the players’ experience.”
In several instances, the document highlighted monetization as one of their business risks. To that effect, the company has “established a dedicated working group composed of various corporate functions”.
Although Ubisoft emphasized several times that monetization should never impede player experience and should remain optional, most gamers believe pay-to-win is now the order of the day.
Do you enjoy microtransactions to customize your game avatar to stand out from the pack? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
