Egregious monetization has been a huge issue in the video game industry for the past few years. Not solely are video games getting increasingly more costly, however some firms actively select to implement questionable practices (like extreme DLC and/or microtransactions) that drive shoppers to spend their hard-earned money regularly.
After all, not all various monetization practices are dangerous per se, and there’s a transparent distinction between what’s acceptable and what’s not. However this hasn’t stopped some firms from making video games with ridiculous and predatory monetization, to the purpose that they’ve stained their legacies endlessly, even after mentioned practices have been eliminated or modified. This has occurred a number of instances throughout the historical past of the trade, however the next eight video games are essentially the most infamous examples.
Gauntlet
Gamers Can Insert A Coin To Revive Their Character On The Spot
- Platform: Arcade
- Launched: October 15, 1985
- Developer: Atari Video games
- Style: Hack-and-Slash
Opposite to well-liked perception, questionable monetization has been a problem in gaming since its early years; it has simply develop into extra frequent in recent times as a result of rise of the web. Again within the 80s, arcade video games had been particularly designed to drive gamers to spend as many cash/tokens as attainable, but Atari Games’ Gauntlet took that concept to another level.
Most arcade video games allowed gamers to maintain taking part in by inserting a coin, however all of them had restricted lives/sport overs that might drive them to begin throughout after they ran out. Gauntlet stood out from the competitors, nevertheless, by permitting gamers to revive their playable character with full well being on the spot by inserting a coin in a short window of time, which means that even essentially the most inexperienced gamers might get very far within the sport so long as they’d sufficient cash. This isn’t such an enormous deal within the grand scheme of issues, however it’s an enchanting glimpse at how exploitative monetization in gaming would ultimately get only a few many years later.
The Sims 4
Over $1000 Value Of Expansions
Digital Arts is notorious for implementing bizarre and/or costly monetization practices in its video games, and The Sims 4 is one of the most notorious examples of this. This iconic life simulation sport initially got here out in 2014 and has been getting growth packs regularly, with the most recent one, Enchanted by Nature, releasing as lately as October 2025.
Between all of the completely different Growth Packs, Sport Packs, Stuff Packs, and Kits, the full value of The Sims 4’s further content material is calculated to be round $1354. Whereas Digital Arts tried to make up for this excessive value by making the bottom sport free-to-play in 2022, The Sims 4 is just not actually value taking part in with none of its expansions, because it feels utterly bare-bones and lacks a few of its most necessary content material.
Evolve
How Rampant Monetization Can Damage A Sport’s Status
When Evolve was revealed back in 2014, it instantly made an influence on your entire online game neighborhood. The idea of an asymmetrical multiplayer sport during which one individual would take management of a large Lovecraftian monster whereas 4 others management the human hunters who must take it down sounded fairly refreshing and progressive.
Nonetheless, 2K ruined Evolve’s repute shortly earlier than its launch with its exploitative monetization practices. Sure monsters, weapons and skins had been locked behind Pre-Order Bonuses, Season Passes, and console exclusivity, which, coupled with the truth that the bottom sport was value 40 {dollars} on launch, made it really feel just like the writer was extra fearful about promoting content material than really making a worthwhile multiplayer expertise with a loyal neighborhood behind it. Evolve was ultimately made free-to-play in 2016, however this was not sufficient to put it aside, and its servers had been later shut down in 2018.
Future 2
Bought DLC Can Be Locked Away In The Content material Vault
The Future IP is notorious for its questionable monetization, as what was initially marketed as a multiplayer first-person RPG ultimately developed right into a reside service title that required its gamers to spend cash regularly to get entry to the more moderen content material. This has been very true for Destiny 2 and its collection of over nine different yearly expansions.
The costs of Future 2’s expansions and DLCs vary from ten to thirty {dollars}, which usually wouldn’t be that dangerous (particularly when contemplating the bottom sport was made free-to-play in 2019) if it weren’t for the truth that the Future Content material Vault exists. Bungie will sometimes take away content material from mentioned expansions and lock it away into the “DCV”, thus proscribing shoppers from having access to stuff they’d already paid for. Evidently, the “DCV” has been a significant supply of controversy for Future 2 gamers for quite a few years.
Star Wars Battlefront 2
A Cautionary Story About The Risks Of Loot Containers
A listing of video video games with questionable and/or controversial monetization can’t be complete without Star Wars Battlefront 2. Again in 2017, this multiplayer FPS based mostly on the well-known Sci-Fi/fantasy movie franchise grew to become essentially the most hated online game on the earth because of EA’s grasping monetization practices.
The gameplay loop of Battlefront 2 appeared to have been designed in a manner that unlocking playable characters (like Darth Vader, for instance) with out grinding for tons of of hours was nearly not possible, which clearly inspired folks to do it by spending actual cash as an alternative. To make issues even worse, the sport additionally featured Loot Containers that would really give some gamers a major benefit in battle, which induced much more outrage from shoppers and even led to an investigation by the Belgian authorities. EA ultimately listened to its critics and eliminated each microtransactions and Loot Containers from the sport. Consequently, Star Wars Battlefront 2 grew to become extra well-liked than ever and noticed a significant resurgence in gamers this previous 12 months.
Crash Staff Racing: Nitro-Fueled
Activision Broke Its Personal Promise
Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled had the potential to become one of the best kart racers on the market, as not solely was it a full remake of some of the beloved and iconic video games within the style, however it additionally featured further content material from Crash Nitro Kart and different Crash Bandicoot titles that got here out after the unique PS1 model.
However there was an enormous downside: Activision added microtransactions to Nitro-Fueled lower than a month after the sport’s preliminary launch, even after the corporate promised it wouldn’t have any again in E3 2019. Like most fashionable video games with questionable monetization, characters and skins might technically be unlocked with out spending any cash, however they did require a tedious quantity of grinding that incentivized players to buy microtransactions. Evidently, Crash Staff Racing: Nitro-Fueled continues to be a really stable kart racing sport, however these pointless monetization practices turned it into one thing it was by no means presupposed to be.
Name Of Obligation: Trendy Warfare 3
An Instance Of The whole lot That’s Flawed With Trendy Name Of Obligation
Most fashionable entries within the Name of Obligation collection have been closely criticized for his or her ridiculous monetization practices, but 2023’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the most controversial one as a result of it messed with the legacy of a beloved traditional from 2011. For starters, its bare-bones solo marketing campaign is barely three-to-four hours lengthy, which means {that a} greater focus was placed on the multiplayer than on the single-player expertise.
To make issues even worse, Trendy Warfare 3 had all the extra paid content material one would anticipate from a contemporary multiplayer FPS, like Battle Passes, Pre-Order Bonuses, microtransactions, and extra. This not solely soured the expertise for longtime followers who simply wished to relive this traditional title, however it was additionally met with criticism as a result of the bottom sport already value 70 {dollars}. Due to this, most followers see Trendy Warfare 3 as a full-priced sport that was monetized as if it had been a free-to-play title.
FIFA 22
Loot Containers Have Modified This Basic Sports activities Franchise Ceaselessly
Most of Digital Arts’ traditional sports activities sport collection have been tarnished by rampant monetization practices, with the FIFA franchise being essentially the most egregious instance. Like all of the current entries on this soccer simulation collection, FIFA 22 features a mode called Ultimate Team, during which gamers can recruit well-known gamers to type their very own all-star crew, which sounds good on paper, however there’s a caveat.
Stated gamers must be recruited by opening packs of random playing cards that may be bought with actual cash, which signifies that they’re principally Loot Containers. FIFA 22 (and most fashionable EA Sports activities video games these days) has an inherently predatory monetization system that encourages playing, and its results on youngsters have been a significant supply of concern for some folks. To make issues even worse, the bottom sport already value sixty {dollars} at launch (In its normal model, the deluxe version value 100 {dollars}), and it even has predatory microtransactions.
