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Clicker Heroes 2 Developer Abandons Microtransaction Model Citing Ethical Concerns
In a letter to their players, Clicker Heroes 2 developer Playsaurus explains why they went with an upfront pricing model instead of free-to-play with microtransactions like the first game, citing both ethics and gameplay design as their main reasons.
"Games are inherently addictive," explains the developer. "That alone is not a bad thing, until it gets abused ... We made a lot of money from these players who spent thousands. They are known to the industry as 'Whales'. Great. If you're rich, please be my guest. But we don't want this kind of money if it came from anyone who regrets their decision, if it made their lives significantly worse as a result. Unfortunately, those who have a problem are usually in denial about it, and would be too ashamed to ask us for a refund. We would give the refund in a heartbeat. It's not like we have artists drawing each ruby by hand. It costs us nothing but payment processing fees."
Playsaurus also explains that letting players feel like the experience might be better if they spend more money feels terrible, and that they do not want the game to feel like that's necessary.
You can read the full post at the source link below. Clicker Heroes 2 is scheduled for PC and Mac in 2018.
[Source: Playsaurus Blog]
Our Take
It's interesting to see a dev be so transparent about this decision. It makes me wonder if there will be a trend to be openly consumer-friendly by explaining their reasoning.
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