In an interview belonging to the Noclip documentary series by Daniel O’Dwyer, Digital Extremes Studio Manager Sheldon Carter detailed an unexpected result that occurred when the developer introduced a small microtransaction for Kubrows, an in-game virtual pet. The studio had implemented what Carter defines as a “slot machine lever” that allowed gamers - for the price of about $0.67 - to randomize the fur pattern and fur color of their pet Kubrow. While it was only a cosmetic feature, the idea of putting something so random behind a paygate drew the ire of many of the game’s fans. Still, Digital Extremes went forward with the idea - until one fan spent well over $100 on it almost immediately.
Interested gamers can take a look at the relevant portion of Sheldon Carter’s interview below:
When Carter and the rest of the development staff looked at the ~$137 purchase history of a man who really, really wanted to find the perfect fur pattern for his in-game pet, they realized they had essentially created a slot machine that impulsive players would gamble away significant amounts of money on. While many studios would consider this a big win, Digital Extremes made the decision that this kind of activity wasn’t healthy for the playerbase in the long run. As Carter explained, it wasn’t long before the ‘gambling fur randomizer’ was removed from the game entirely:
While Warframe still has microtransactions, the game has been widely praised for keeping things in balance: the online environment certainly isn’t ‘pay to win’, and purchases within the game don’t come remotely as close to gambling as the infamous slot machine lever incident mentioned above. Now some 5 years after its initial release, Warframe is still getting updates from the developers as the community continues to dedicate plenty of hours into the space-based shooter.
Warframe is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: NoClip
