According to data-led discussion platform Qutee, a majority of gamers feel positive about cosmetic microtransactions. For its Gaming Today survey, Qutee gathered 1,862 comments and 10.457 poll votes on 458 discussion topics in order to figure out how consumers feel about the games that they play.
68.6% respondents (896 votes) said that “cosmetic only is ok,” 22% of respondents (287 votes) said that they “dislike pay to win,” 5.8% of respondents (76 votes) said that “I don’t purchase them,” 2.4% of respondents (31 votes) said that “I’d rather pay upfront,” and 1.3% of respondent (17 votes) said “I’m a fan.)
From this data, Qutee surmises that the concept of microtransactions is not “fundamentally flawed” and that most concerns stem from how microtransactions are implemented, e.g. that they will be pay to win. The report also quotes respondent feedback that highlights some positive aspects to microtransactions, such as the ability to support a developer and the fact that cosmetic microtransactions are essentially just another way for players to entertain themselves. Analysts do expect microtransactions to be less aggressive in future, including less of an emphasis on pay to win, and this data seems to support that shift.
Qutee also suggests that the fact that less than 6% of respondents don’t purchase microtransactions is a positive sign for developers and publishers who want to continue using that business model; microtransactions will continue to be a lucrative way of monetizing a game. Although many are familiar with the concept of whales (when a small fraction of the playerbase is responsible for the majority of microtransaction revenue) this data suggests that many people have spent at least some money on microtransactions.
Unfortunately, Qutee’s data only looked at the broader idea of microtransactions and, according to the report, it did not specifically ask about loot boxes. Microtransactions and loot boxes are two slightly different things and have been criticized for different reasons, with some arguing that loot boxes are gambling. While cosmetic microtransactions may be acceptable, loot boxes may be less so but Qutee’s data doesn’t touch upon that and the debate regarding these gaming business models will rage on.
Source: Qutee
