TOP 10 games with monstrous monetization: not only Diablo Immortal

Diablo Immortal had high hopes. The authors really managed to create a good project with sticky gameplay and pleasant visuals, but the advantages were overshadowed by the terrible monetization. In the end, we are talking about one of the most underrated games of all time. But this is not the first time that a clumsy donation has dragged a potential hit to the bottom. In this collection we have collected ten projects with terrible monetization!

The announcement of Diablo Immortal was met with skepticism, but over time Blizzard managed to reassure the audience. In general, it was not in vain that gamers waited for the free-to-play game: in terms of capabilities, Immortal was inferior to the numbered parts, but retained the gameplay foundation — chopping monsters was fun, cool bosses were regularly encountered along the way, and the campaign surprised with a good story. The visuals also turned out to be pleasant.

You can really enjoy the story — the problem is that it's only a small part of the game. The developers relied on end-game content, where the hero can jump into multiplayer and challenge other gamers. But winning without investment turned out to be difficult.

The main problem is the mechanics of gems, which buff the hero, increasing damage, speed, summoning time of creatures and other characteristics. It is possible to obtain and upgrade priceless items without donating, but according to fans' estimates, this will take ten years.

It is much easier to buy a glyph for real money, which guarantees that after completing the dungeon the boss will drop a legendary gem. Gamers with deep wallets took advantage of the option and went to PvP. Alas, it is almost impossible to fight with a donor on equal terms: even with a character of the same level, his health bar will be larger, his attacks will be stronger, and his abilities will be more deadly.

But the developers promised that it wouldn't be possible to upgrade gear for money. However, gems, in their opinion, do not belong to equipment.

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 was one of the most anticipated games of 2017. It looked great, was fun to play, and had an impressive character roster with droids, Siths, and Jedi. Alas, EA came up with such a terrible monetization system that even Disney had to intervene — the corporation was preparing to release a new film, and the background around Star Wars became negative.

The main problem was loot boxes. The mere presence of boxes with random goodness didn't bother me—the question was the contents. Loot boxes spilled not only cosmetics, but also modifiers and improvements. They made it possible to recharge abilities faster, deal more damage, and take a hit better.

Loot boxes were awarded after multiplayer battles, but they could also be purchased. Donators stocked up in the store, and then bent over the Sith, Jedi and other characters.

Another reason for criticism was the prolonged progression. Top heroes like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker were initially unavailable — in order to accumulate currency and unlock them, you had to spend about 40 hours in the game. Or just agree to a couple of expensive microtransactions.

The criticism forced EA to rework the donation system. As a result, it became easier to get cool heroes, and priceless gear stopped falling out of paid loot boxes. Since then, enjoying Star Wars: Battlefront 2 has become easier.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War released decent game with interesting combat, epic assaults and a clear plot. Gamers especially loved the «Nemesis» system, which made the passage unique. On the way, the hero met many orcs and built relationships with them: the enemies kept in mind the outcome of past skirmishes, recalled past grievances, received new characteristics and increased their level. As a result, orcs were individuals, not faceless villains.

Alas, it was not enough for the publisher to simply sell the game — as a result, loot boxes appeared in Shadow of War. In the story, Talion lured the orcs to his side: they helped storm the fortresses and defend them. However, if you wanted, you didn't have to engage in recruitment — if you buy a couple of loot boxes, the army will assemble itself.

The main part of the game did not force you to donate. The problem was in the fourth act, where Talion again had to fight for the fortresses. At the same time, the enemies became stronger and forced to reassemble a powerful army. Gamers who wanted to discover the true ending sometimes got nervous — they ended up going into the store and buying loot boxes.

Gamers harshly criticized the developers for such mechanics. To somehow smooth things out, Monolith Productions adjusted the balance so that there would be enough in-game currency to purchase boxes with orcs.

Metal Gear Survive became the first and currently the last game in the series that Konami developed without Hideo Kojima. Alas, the result was terrible: the spin-off entered the territory of survival games, but did not captivate even fans of the genre. Grinding, construction and other mechanics turned out to be painfully dull.

Another problem was monetization. The fact is that Konami allowed you to create only one character and survive solely on him. If you want to start the passage from scratch or evaluate a new hero, either delete the old one, resetting all progress, or pay ten bucks.

While other companies were selling loot boxes, Konami went even further and offered to buy an additional save slot. Unsurprisingly, gamers didn't like it.

Evolve was one of the first games to feature asynchronous multiplayer. The four heroes confronted the monster and tried to finish it off — at the same time, at the beginning of the rink the monster was weak, but over time it gained strength. As a result, the soldiers' chances of victory decreased every second. The concept seemed interesting, but in reality it quickly became boring for players. Of course, one of the reasons for the failure was the donation.

Evolve was originally a paid game with a price tag of $60. However, buying a new product was not enough — the developers kept throwing out «profitable» offers. It wasn't just skins that were on sale: for $15 you could even buy a new monster with a unique set of abilities.

The appetite for 2K and Turtle Rock seemed insatiable to many. A faded weapon skin cost five bucks, a season pass cost 25, and a starting cosmetic package cost 60. Considering that the authors regularly gave «helpful tips» that were redirected to the store, gamers were irritated.

Alas, rehearsal gameplay, a small amount of content, problems with support and donations killed Evolve. Even switching to a shareware model didn't help.

World of Warships has always persistently motivated gamers to make a purchase, but one day the company crossed the line — the cause of outrage was the battleship Missouri. The ship appeared back in 2016: then it was awarded for completing tasks. Alas, the developers considered the battleship too cool and cut it out of the game a couple of years later. The problems began when Wargaming announced the return of the legendary ship.

Initially, the developers announced that it would be possible to buy «Missouri» using in-game currency. However, it later became clear that the ship could only drop from loot boxes. Gamers were not happy with this — they did not want to play roulette. After all, other ships of a similar level were sold directly in the store. As a result, there was an uproar that caused many opinion leaders to stop working with Wargaming.

In the end, the developers had to listen to the community. The battleship Missouri appeared in the store, and gamers purchased it directly with in-game currency.

Initially, The Culling was a typical battle royale that made money on cosmetics. Gamers appreciated the recklessness and bloodthirstiness of the game and enjoyed spending time in it, occasionally purchasing beautiful gear. Alas, over time, battle royale connoisseurs migrated to PUBG, and The Culling servers had to be closed — however, the story is just beginning.

The battle royale still had a lot of fans who asked for the game to be restarted. In 2020, the developers heard the pleas and returned the project to digital stores — while previously The Culling was shareware, but now it was sold for six dollars.

Interestingly, Xaviant didn't stop there: gamers had to pay just to play — only one skating rink per day was free. If you won the battle, you received another pass. However, if they lost, players had to go to the store and buy tokens.

Not surprisingly, the system angered gamers who had already paid for the project. As a result, the reboot of The Culling was stillborn.

When Valve announced a card game based on Dota 2, gamers beamed with happiness. It would seem that a great studio will definitely be able to create a competitor to Hearthstone and captivate the community for hundreds of hours. Alas, the reality turned out to be not so rosy.

At first glance, Artifact had plenty of fresh ideas. Instead of the usual one battlefield, the new game featured three, units easily changed locations, and the goal was to destroy several towers. All this made the gameplay fun — until gamers realized that it was difficult to win without donating.

Initially, Artifact cost 1,400 rubles, but for this money the player received only a starting deck, and there were not enough options to get new cards — the bet was on trading platforms and packs. As a result, gamers had to spend real money on collecting new decks, as well as buy tickets to tournaments.

The community did not appreciate this approach, and the TCG went to the scrapheap. In 2021, Valve admitted the failure, made Artifact free and stopped supporting it.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided had its share of problems. The release version was horrifying with clumsy optimization, the plot had no clear ending, and the store sold Praxis, which provided access to new skills. The donation was not critical — the game was easily played without in-game purchases: some did not even know about the existence of the store. However, the fact that Square Enix added microtransactions to the single-player project outraged many.

Praxis is the main tool for leveling up. With the help of consumables, Adam Jensen learned to jump higher, break through walls, become invisible, and so on. Considering that, thanks to a super jump, the hero could quickly get to the right place, gamers sometimes glanced towards the store. There were also workarounds, but there was always the easiest and most obvious option.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was a great game with a compelling story, varied gameplay, and great side quests. However, due to donations and other problems, the last part became a commercial failure. We hope that Embracer, which has acquired the rights to the series, will develop a suitable sequel and will not repeat the mistakes of Square Enix.

Dead Space 3's problems are similar to those that destroyed Mankind Divided. The third part was a good action game, but fans were expecting something completely different. At the behest of EA, suspense was replaced by unrestrained shooting, and not everyone could accept it. Donation was not the main problem of Dead Space 3 — rather, the last straw.

The fact is that EA ordered the developers to add a store to the third part. If the player did not want to explore locations, collect materials for crafting and be afraid of monsters, he could buy a cool gun with an impressive supply of ammunition and go after the necromorphs. This made many people angry.

As a result, the publisher was unable to sell Dead Space 3 in the required quantity; microtransactions also did not help raise the box office. Since then, the series has fallen off the radar and only returned last year when EA announced a remake.

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