Square Enix’s recent insistence that gamers enjoy item charges and they are no different to “ordering extras at a restaurant” has been proving controversial amongst those unhappy at finding their games sold in ever smaller portions and finding the extras typically exceed the cost of the main dish…
The comments come in a recent Dengeki interview with Bravely Default producer Tomoya Asano and Chunsoft’s Yuichiro Saito:
Asano: “Spending money is basically fun. For example, it’s fun going shopping.”
Saito: “Spending money on things is certainly enjoyable.”
Asano: “If the buyer wants something, they can buy it. That’s what we’re providing, that’s service.
For example, you’re standing at a restaurant eating soba. You may want to make another order of fried tofu to go with it, and that’s what we’re providing.”
Saito: “Of course, you wouldn’t provide half as much tofu to encourage that.”
Asano: “Of course, you wouldn’t make your food extra salty so the customer needs to buy a drink. But nobody would object to being able to order extra topping for their soba.”
Saito: “Right, something like that is perfectly reasonable.”
Asano: “So if we can gradually make a consumer’s games provide more opportunities for services like this, I think it’s making a more satisfying environment for users.”
As ever with Square Enix, this does not seem to sit well with customers:
“Me: ‘What, my order doesn’t have any topping at all!?'”
“Me: ‘My order doesn’t seem to have any noodles in it either…'”
“Except in practice with games the topping ends up being more expensive than the main dish.”
“What is it with idiots and the dumb analogies they come out with?”
“Listening to Square Enix these days is like listening to a conman discussing his next swindle…”
“Item charges, or in other words the game you bought being incomplete.”
“Square Enix, where if there is no topping the meal virtually ceases to exist.”
“If it’s F2P then what they are saying is reasonable, but for $50+ games you expect it all in.”
“‘Here’s you curry sire, if you want meat in it that’ll be extra’ is what they are saying.”
“Many games these days don’t even bother with the noodles.”
“I don’t think many people buy games because they enjoy buying things as they seem to think.”
“This company continuously mocks consumers…”
“Which is more satisfying to play, a game with charges and DLC or one without? And if Square Enix are right shouldn’t they cost the same in total?”
“When I go into a restaurant, I buy from a set menu…”
difference is you’re taking half the rice from my main dish and saying do you want this pay me more!!!.
i’m sorry but spending money on actual things is fun this is just flatout being charged more for i should’ve already bought.
they should stop all development on already piracy rampart hardware like 3ds, ps3, xbox360, pc, moving all development unhacked console like PSVita, PS4, Xbox One. And Forget Wii U.
Asano: “If the buyer wants something, they can buy it. That’s what we’re providing, that’s service.
For example, you’re standing at a restaurant eating soba. You may want to make another order of fried tofu to go with it, and that’s what we’re providing.”
Me: “Uh, no. It’s more like your customers going into a restaurant and ordering a hamburger, then you give them a plate with a bun on it and tell them they have to pay more if they want any meat or toppings.”
The only way the game industry is gonna fall if the cash of 1980’s comes back. Hope it does! The game industry has turned into greedy s♥♥t now!
thats why i still play PSO2
Which also happens to be a game designed around item charges…