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- Nobody likes predatory monetization in games.
- However, despite these criticisms, The First Descendants was a huge success.
- This game is like a carrot dangling on a stick to keep the game heading in the same direction.
First Descendants has come under fire for its monetization practices. [ADD GAME] It has come under fire for its monetization. [ADD GAME] They’ve been criticized for monetization. I thought about going back and adding those games, but there are just too many. From EA FC/FIFA to Overwatch, Warhammer, Kingdom Hearts, Diablo, Mortal Kombat, Star Wars, Formstars. [ADD SEVERAL MORE CANCELLED LIVE-SERVICE GAMES]Monetization is everywhere.
Still, The First Descendant is a hit. It attracted 250,000 players in its first week of release and is currently sitting at number 7 on the Steam charts. Those numbers are only beaten by the ever-popular PUBG, Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, and the expected spikes of Elden Ring’s DLC and Nakara: Bladepoint’s latest season, as well as idle clicker Banana (more on what that is all about here). Looking around the industry today, the biggest question I have whenever something like this happens is: why?
How do live service games stay popular?
I understand why studios make money-tree games. It’s the money part. Such games can be endlessly milked for profit (at least that’s the aim, but most end up failing). It takes a few whales to make a lot of money. Making such a game doesn’t seem particularly rewarding, and in such a crowded market, nobody wants such a game. But why play such a game? I’m not going to tell you what to play.
Actually, that’s not true. I love telling people what to play. Of the indie games I’ve found this year, Balatro is the closest, but last year I kept talking about Paranormasight, Slay the Princess, and A Space for the Unbound. The year before that it was Immortality and Citizen Sleeper. Before that it was Chicory, The Forgotten City, and The Artful Escape. I consider it part of my job to tell people what to play.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, I try not to tell people what to say. do not have Play it. I’ve publicly stated that Elden Ring and Breath of the Wild (or Tears of the Kingdom) were never for me, but I would never tell you not to play them. In fact, if it suits you, it can be a great experience, so I encourage you to give it a try. I was very critical of Cyberpunk 2077, and Phantom Liberty did little to change that impression, but I spent 200 hours in Night City. We find gaming bliss in mystical places.
The game depends on a boom and bust economy
It just amazes me how many people find bliss in this. “Grinding is fun” is not exactly a selling point for a game, but even if it were true, aren’t there already dozens of games with this tagline? Is it an already established genre of game that has settled into a more acceptable monetization pattern, one that you can play now and expect stability? Perhaps a game that hasn’t been accused of lying to players to make monetization even worse?
I understand that shiny new toy syndrome exists, but nobody likes these toys. Why do we keep removing them from the shelves? Not to vent my frustrations, but we all tend to agree that these games are terrible. The anime aesthetic and general gameplay aren’t a matter of personal preference, they’re predatory money-making vehicles disguised as video games. We all hate the business practices of microtransactions and loot boxes and near-impossible gacha odds. If asked about the player-side problems in games today, “greedy” would probably be the adjective most often cited. “Boring” might be close to the top too.
Why do these repetitive wallet-sucking games have such dramatic arcs of rise and fall every time? Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if they just put it there in the first place? It’s not that I want The First Descendant to fail, I just don’t see why anyone who can’t benefit from it would want it to succeed. The game has been accused of being a clone of other games and stealing its banner logo from Destiny. The game may just be a passing fad, but it’s going to make some poor idiot burn off their eyebrows.
I don’t hate The First Descendants. I don’t mind it at all. I’m surprised anyone feels anything more than that about it. This is one of those online money-making fads we’re going to see this year, and it’s an unfortunate trend. They won’t be able to stop it. Can we stop it?
First descendants
- release
- July 2, 2024
- Developer
- Nexon Games
