EA cash in on Xbox live transactions

[Steven W]

We know that you don't have to buy anything from the Xbox live marketplace, but we think that EA's latest list of downloadables puts them top of the greed list.

Check out the Headline for more info.

[kempez]

Yep that actually extracts the urine

[Lee`]

We can only hope everyone makes their view clear voting with thier feet and not buying such items. Is there anyway for 3rd party developers to add content to xbox live?

[GeorgeTuk]

Thats terrible, luckily the only PC stuff you can get as extras was the woeful add ons for BF2.

Ok they weren't bad but they didn't really do much to the game.

Oh they were EA too, I think I see a pattern. Sorry they would like to be called Market Leader!

[5lab]

i dont see whats so bad about buying 'add ons' at a cost. if the cost of developing the game is reduced as a result (so the cost- and time- to market is reduced) - then why not? its not like you're forced to buy them, and at the grand cost of £1.50 for that gun (of which, i'd imagine, m$ take a fair chunk, so the devs get £notmuch).. the last few gta games have essentially just been an add-on for gta3 (no difference in the engine).. mmorgs have been working in this way for aages, cheat books (where you pay to get a way to have free money, etc) are no different in principle than paying for extra credit in the game.. and for some people, it'd work out much cheaper if more games were sold 'empty'. i for one only ever play pro evo as england vs scotland, in a stadium with good light (i hate the one with lots of shadows), but still buy the game each time it comes out for the playability enhancements - if the base game goes down to a tenner and each team/stadium is, say, £2, i get the whole lot for £16. woo!

personally, i don't think it'll work as a charging model, but it might, and if it does, its not necessarily a bad thing

[Steven W]

i dont see whats so bad about buying 'add ons' at a cost. if the cost of developing the game is reduced as a result (so the cost- and time- to market is reduced) - then why not? its not like you're forced to buy them, and at the grand cost of £1.50 for that gun (of which, i'd imagine, m$ take a fair chunk, so the devs get £notmuch).. the last few gta games have essentially just been an add-on for gta3 (no difference in the engine).. mmorgs have been working in this way for aages, cheat books (where you pay to get a way to have free money, etc) are no different in principle than paying for extra credit in the game.. and for some people, it'd work out much cheaper if more games were sold 'empty'. i for one only ever play pro evo as england vs scotland, in a stadium with good light (i hate the one with lots of shadows), but still buy the game each time it comes out for the playability enhancements - if the base game goes down to a tenner and each team/stadium is, say, £2, i get the whole lot for £16. woo!

personally, i don't think it'll work as a charging model, but it might, and if it does, its not necessarily a bad thing

Yep, it's total freedom of choice, but they need to bring down the costs of the games, which they aren't. I agree I think if The Godfather was released at £20 instead of £45 these would be decent downloads.

It's really sly charging someone just so they have the ability to use a gun, but don't actually have one to use. Then making you pay a ridiculous amount of in-game money to buy it, meaning that many will opt for paying more real money just so they can get it. It's up to you at the end of the day if you buy it, but it's starting to get ridiculous. Especially when there was a cheat code that allowed you to get more money for free and now EA have took it away so they can charge. Very sneaky.

[5lab]

i agree on that point. guess it depends how much 'in game' money that really is - take gt4 for instance - it'd take a good couple of weeks of fairly solid play for your average player to make their first $1,000,000, but after that the 2nd and 3rd million come quite quick (just win certain races and sell the cars) - a fact that actually spoils the game, imo (as you tend to just tune the hell out of the cars and win that way.. but besides the point). if you could 'buy' a million dollars for, say, £5, and buy the option to buy a car that cost that much for, say, £1.50, i'd be happy because as long as you'd played the game a fair amount, paying that much wouldnt be a problem (only folk who are lazy have to pay the full whack).. if ya see what i mean

[Tom Scott]

I think the point here really is that this content would have been included for no extra cost if downloadable content hadn't been introduced. The publishers/retailers charge you £40/50 for a game, then charge you more to play with stuff that should have been free anyway - and its just going to get worse with the "consumable" downloadable content.

This editorial sums it all up nicely for me.

[5lab]

who says it would have been there for free if the pay-add-on system wasnt introduced? there's no *hard proof*, so no-one can really tell..