Off Topic Discussion Megathread

[Vahlnir]

Pay to win becoming more mainstream outside of mobile? Yeah, I think it will only get worse. Pay to win becoming mainstream on PC/console games will probably be what players will have to deal with through the 2020s.. I see it only getting worse from here until laws are put in place in countries like the US, and more in EU. It's being shown more and more that people are willing to accept it, and that just means everyone will start copying these models going forward. Just like how every game has to have season passes and everything now.

The only positive thing at the moment is that Diablo Immortal put that practice right into the spotlight and the criticism on full blast. It probably won't amount to much, but at least a few more people are aware of this sort of thing now and can see how predatory it can really be if left unchecked. Blizzard did this shamelessly, though I was not surprised. Very little that they do surprises me anymore. But even this was a new low for them. It forced them to come out and say "GUYS, CHILL. Diablo 4 will only have cosmetic items on its cash shop!" I don't believe them at all, but you can tell they are being hammered when they have to come out and make a statement. Their usual reaction is to hide until the problem goes away.