20°

Bigpoint: Publishers don't understand monetisation

Browser game company Bigpoint has harshly criticised the approach traditional publishers are taking as they make their first forays into free-to-play and explore alternative means of monetising their users.

In an interview, chief games officer Philip Reisberger tells us that the likes of EA, Valve and Ubisoft are wrong to focus on selling virtual goods that enable customisation, rather than a competitive advantage. Bigpoint, he argues, better understands monetisation by virtue of it never having been in the console business.

Read Full Story >>
next-gen.biz
Garethvk4d ago

We can hope. Especially if the rumors of Cillian Murphy and Alaska are true.

RaidenBlack4d ago

That'd be too good if true.
But Henderson also leaked that next Far Cry setting was targeting some asian island.

jznrpg3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

With their shitty practices I really don’t care what Ubisoft announces until they reverse their course

Relientk774d ago

Assassin's Creed Hexe is what I wanna hear about most. Yes I wanna play as a witch with magic during the 16 century witch trials in Germany (as per rumors). Sign me up

Huey_My_D_Long4d ago

Yeah, Hex sounds amazing to me as well, and I've been playing since AC 1. I'm real curious how are they gonna fit the magic into the game, maybe in similar way the dlc introduced gods and god abilities. but I love that I've heard its gonna have a horror vibe.

Garethvk4d ago

Hopefully it is full of good stuff.

RaidenBlack4d ago

The studio just completed Avatar and busy with Outlaws and also got their F2P Heartland cancelled ... IMO, Division 3 will surely come but it'll take more time.
I'd be most thrilled if Ubisoft greenlits a sequel or at least a remake of the studio's first game i.e World in Conflict

anast4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I would get hyped about Hexe. If the rumors are true, UBI might get a gold edition purchase out of me.

Demetrius4d ago

Hopefully gameplay of ac shadows or star wars outlaws, if they finally announce the new far cry I'm definitely getting that, far cry still fun af and gorgeous games, yeah ubisoft has their faults but atleast they're not copying souls like games their titles still have identity

neutralgamer19924d ago

We will definitely see gameplay for star wars and AC. Farcry let's see

OtterX4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I'm going to be an outlier amongst the rest of these comments.... give us something NEW! I'm pretty burnt out on Ubisoft franchises, unless you're giving us a new Rayman game!

*Edit - imagine what they could do with a Rayman 3D game in this day and age. I say now is the time to revisit the series.

RaidenBlack4d ago

Would love a AAA PoP too or a back to roots Ghost Recon (none of the open world stuff)

MeatyUrologist4d ago

Hell yes! Ghost recon in the style of the originals with real consequences, permanent and all!

jznrpg3d ago

I love Rayman, played it a ton with my kids years ago. But Ubisoft puts dumb crap in their games. MTs , paid tiers , always online requirement for single player games and as they stand now I could see them doing that to Rayman

OtterX3d ago

Yea unfortunately, you're right. :'(

Garethvk4d ago

Beyond Good and Evil 2: It is coming really; we promise.

OtterX4d ago

Their microtransaction monetization scheme on it will lie somewhere between good and evil!

Haha JK.... it'll be completely evil. 🙃

Show all comments (21)
230°

Steam Account Transfer Via Will on Death is Not Permitted, Valve Confirms

In case you were curious, a Steam account transfer via will is not permitted according to an official response from Valve.

anast6d ago

The games are theirs. People just pay to ride the ride.

Skuletor5d ago

Would be nice if the article's writer looked into and reported whether other digital game libraries could be transferred over via will (Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, EGS, EA app, GOG, Ubisoft Connect, Rockstar Launcher etc) instead of this half-baked piece but it's probably the same for all of them anyway

Kornholic5d ago

This seems like a way bigger issue than mandatory PSN account linking for PlayStation games.

So where is the outcry?

Skuletor5d ago

It's not like PlayStation is doing any different.

"You may not sell, buy, trade, or transfer your Online ID, Account or any personal access to PSN Services through any means or method, including by use of web sites."
https://www.playstation.com...

Kornholic5d ago

So you are that saying Steam is being very anti consumer with its policies. That's why I'm so baffled by the lack of outcry from the PC audience.

NotoriousWhiz5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

It's not like your account just stops working when you die. Include your email, account id, and password in the will (including the password to your email) and your survivors should have no problem using your games.

anast5d ago

PC gamers are a different lot. They don't mind renting their games forever, they don't mind spending money on overpriced equipment, and they don't mind fiddling with settings for hours before they even play the game, but linking a PSN account demands a riot. This is hard to understand, but then again, we all have to draw our lines somewhere.

Skuletor5d ago

You sure talk a lot of nonsense.Go look up the percentage of digital sales compared to physical sales of PS5 games, then tell me again about "renting" games.

mandf5d ago

Overblown funny and 100percent true

anast5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

There is no option at all to buy a physical copy of a PC game... And more people game on consoles for the reasons that make PC gamers a different lot.

VIK21215d ago

it's not so much the linking but the fact that certain countries aren't allowed to access psn...

VIK21215d ago

@anast I have a disc ps5 since launch, initially I bought some disc games, but I can't be bothered to walk to a physical store nowadays... I just buy the titles when they go on special sale or gray market store like CDKeys...

DustMan5d ago

PSN was a different story altogether. It kept people who bought the game from playing in countries that PSN wasn't supported. I never understood the issue anyway.

I don't know if PC stuff is overpriced considering that you can buy a new video card with the same amount of money you'd spend over 5 or 6 years paying to play games online with a console. I'll never pay double to use the same connection. That is what I'll never understand about console gamers. "let me pay an extra hundred & twenty dollars a year to use the same internet I pay for monthly and use on literally every device in my home for free....except for my Playstation"

Extermin8or3_5d ago

@Skuletor about 50-60% of sales are digital for most games. Meaning 40-50% are physical....

anast5d ago

@VIK

You might not but you are not the expectation that creates a universal.

Skuletor5d ago

@Extermin8or3_
Right and where are you getting that information from?
https://www.statista.com/st...

@anast

"Renting games"
In the fourth fiscal quarter of 2023, approximately 77 percent of Sony Corporation's PlayStation gaming sales were generated via digital downloads.

"overpriced equipment"
Some people are willing to pay a premium for better performance, the way you keep talking about the PS5 Pro on N4G proves you're a hypocrite in that regard but whatever, lol

"fiddling with settings for hours before they even play the game"
Most pc games will give the option to scan your system to choose recommended settings or start with moderate settings that will run the game fine but you're free to mess around at your own leisure, to improve performance or quality if you wish to. For those that don't want to, there's free software that can do that for you, such as Nvidia's Geforce or AMD's AMD Catalyst. Geforce Experience even gives you the option of choosing whether to prioritize performance vs image quality with a simple slider for easy optimization, it's not rocket science, like you try make it out to be.

"linking a PSN account demands a riot"
Playstation selling Helldivers 2 in regions without the legal means to create a PSN account by Sony's own standards, then telling people in those regions that already bought the game that they can no longer play the game, isn't a cause for concern? Though you've already heard about that but keep going along with your own narrative because of your weird vendetta against PC on here.

This is hard to understand, but then again, we all have to draw our lines somewhere.

PRIMORDUS5d ago

I don't rent I torrent to keep, if they take them down that's ok I don't care I have them LOL. I do buy PC games but very little as I want full control which is why I torrent to keep them in my collection, and I do not give a fuck what the devs or publishers want. I never did never will.

anast4d ago

@DustMan

Just like you can choose play games on low to barely mid settings for the price of a PS5, you can also choose not to game online on the PS5. So, now you are getting a better gaming experience and not paying extra for online.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
thorstein5d ago

So just give your progeny the passwords.

OtterX5d ago

Keep the password sealed in the Will, only to be opened after death. :)

Aphrodia5d ago

Right? How are they gonna know you are dead?

FinalFantasyFanatic5d ago

The only way they will know is when an account is active for 300 years, lol.

Show all comments (37)
450°

Ubisoft say AC Shadows protagonists will be "romantically attracted to different types of people"

Ubisoft recently shared more details about Assassin's Creed Shadows protagonists, confirming that both of them will romantically attract and be attracted to different types of people.

Hugodastrevas12d ago

That should please everyone I'm sure...

RpgSama11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

Feudal Japan DEI LGBTQ+ Samurai, sounds very accurate for the time period. Surely a decision made only with historical accuracy in mind.

Crows9011d ago

Or even modern day accuracy.....

Lexreborn211d ago

You have no idea what you are talking about, bet you didn’t know nobunaga was bi-sexual. Or ran maru his is often depicted as androgynous was a “beautiful boy”.

So yeah, feudal Japan had tons of lgbtq and kawaii enough… A BLACK SAMURAI! All without the need of offending a Caucasian because the world is diverse.

VenomUK11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

This story has cracked me up so much! Bravo Ubisoft, bravo! 🤣. So last week everyone was upset that in the long-awaited first Assassin’s Creed: Japan game the protagonist is black. But NOW he is also LGBTQ+ ! It’s like the Ubisoft creative team sat around a table and said “How can we best impress our Kotaku/IGN/Polygon friends and antagonise gamers? Let’s make it woke x 100!’ And then they all silent clapped!

Just you wait until the Star Wars: Outlaws details come out, there better not be anybody complaining about Kay Vess’ dating preferences and the gay droid armies.

Christopher11d ago

It actually is.

Japanese were very Greek in their sexual experiences.

lodossrage11d ago

Lexreborn2 is right

Go read up on Japan's feudal era homosexuality and bisexuality was a very common thing in that time.

I just have to laugh because the same people complaining about this are the same ones crying about wanting "historical accuracy". When it's clear most of the whiners don't even know history themselves.

Christopher11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

Facts don't care about downvotes, btw. You either claim to understand historical accuracy or you just admit you don't like the stuff people did throughout history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

thorstein11d ago

Japan had no Christian stupidity about sexuality.

That's where your nonsensical puritanical view comes from: the Abraham's faiths.

It's feudal Japan, they don't believe in your religion's made up nonsense.

I mean, if you're going to embrace a particular viewpoint, you should at least be aware of where it comes from. Most of the world doesn't care about your ideals.

In those days, they certainly didn't care about your religion.

Get over yourself.

RpgSama11d ago

All of you guys missed the point, I even said I'm very sure they did it ONLY because they wanted to be historically accurate. Stop defending this, we all know why they did it and who they want to pander, it's not out newfound respect for history.

lodossrage11d ago

@RpgSama

Nobody is defending anything.

People are just pointing out the fact that after they just cried about the game not being historically accurate, when they SHOW they're accurate, they cry about it because they don't like certain parts of history

Not to mention you contradicted yourself RPGSama. You just pointed out you said they "ONLY because they wanted to be historically accurate". Then turn around and accuse them of pandering and/or having an agenda. Those two things are opposing statements

Cacabunga11d ago

Dumbest decision ever.. always online was a pass for me but now not even for free I’ll try it..

LordoftheCritics11d ago

It's made by Ubisoft Montreal.

Obviously we'll be allowed to bang anything that moves.

RiseNShine10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

Yeha pretty sure.

H910d ago

People actually telling you that Japan had sexual deviancy which is correct however what's hilarious is that they will act as if it holds the same moral value that the LGBT community holds today, oh the things men used to say about themselves when they are attracted to other men, it's not empowering in the least bit

senorfartcushion10d ago

It was more common to be attracted to the same sex before the crusades.

10d ago
Tapani10d ago

You are completely lost on Japanese history. Japan was one of the most liberal places in the world, and in many ways still is. You can slice and dice it from your western hubris and whatever point of view, but the reality is that history tells great stories about freedom of choice and people not being judgemental on this island. Also one of the reasons I want to raise my family here, no need to have those whatever Western woke bullshit here, because everyone just respects each other without using all that nonsense.

+ Show (14) more repliesLast reply 10d ago
CrimsonWing6911d ago

Geezus, just make a good game… holy sh*t this is becoming insufferable.

Crows9011d ago

Oh yeah!!!! What about being inclusive???

I'm sorry
..please replace the word inclusive with stupid.

Hofstaderman11d ago

You asking UbiSoft to make a good game? This is not 2002.

thorstein11d ago

I thought you crybabies wanted "historical accuracy." Now that your going to get it, you're going to cry more.

PRIMORDUS11d ago

It's past the point of retarded, everyone seems forced to do this bullshit now in games. 😑

Barlos11d ago

Hell no. A good game or film is secondary now to the agenda and the 'message'.

It's not enough to be simply entertained these days, there has to be an overarching real world narrative. I mean look at Dr Who as a recent example. Disney have completely destroyed it all in the name of 'diversity'.

senorfartcushion10d ago

You sound like you don't have a very active sex life ,😅

CrimsonWing6910d ago (Edited 10d ago )

Are you projecting? 😝

senorfartcushion10d ago

It's the only thing that explains the incel crap. They can't simply be angry virgins who don't get any, so then a lack of a sex life i.e. a dad of three or something, is also a good additional explanation. They're either lonely and don't get any or too busy to get any. There's a horrible news for sexual control with incels, and they're angry because they simply aren't the right people to achieve that control. They're weaker animals.

notachance10d ago

dude’s too busy commenting on other people’s sex life to actually stay on topic.

That or he’s angry but didn’t have half the brain needed to refute back so he went for the classic ad hominem fallacy.

senorfartcushion10d ago

Notachance

It's a fact that remains true. The only way it can't be true is if humans were not greedy and heavily reliant on procreation.

Your username is fitting.

CrimsonWing6910d ago (Edited 10d ago )

dude, let’s be real, you’re on a video game news site going into the comments section and taking time out of your life to go to war with people you think don’t f*ck. You sound as much of a virgin as any incel does.

Let’s be real, bub you’re just as pathetic as the rest of them. Anyone who would look at this who doesn’t waste their time on a video game news site or video games in general probably thinks the only thing you f*ck is your crusty ass pillow.

C’mon, man. Anyone who f*cks doesn’t immediately go into a comment section claiming others have no sex life. It’s just one of those things if you are getting your d*ck wet. It just comes off like you’re projecting in hopes to god nobody figures out you can’t get any, so you try to flex, even though you’re completely full of sh*t.

I mean, that’s the only thing that makes sense to me 😅.

senorfartcushion9d ago

I'm engaged without children - I'm doing just fine.

This is just nerd sites now. Users are just so angry and for basically the same reasons. Most people go through phases with this type of stuff but it's scary seeing the same attitudes being regurgitated over and over again. From what I've seen it's a strange mix of sexual frustration, lack of proper financing and the need to have 100% control over both so that they aren't taken away from the users.

CrimsonWing699d ago

@fartcushion

Look, man, people are allowed to have opinions and show frustration with stuff. It has no bearing on them not getting sex or not making money.

I have no idea how people commenting on being tired of hearing about SJW sh*t being shown in the spotlight like some carnival sideshow where publishers are wanting some pat on the back for means they’re financially unstable and don’t have a sexual relationship.

What, are you on the spectrum? Like how do you come to that conclusion and make multiple responses to the discourse with “virgin alert” or “you need to have sex?” That right there is kind of sus to me.

I don’t know in what world you lived in where this hasn’t been a nerd site, but people are allowed to comment their thoughts on things and still have relationships. You’re just as much of a nerd as everyone in here.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 9d ago
+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 9d ago
11d ago Replies(3)
darthv7211d ago

Is that genuinely a selling point for people?

RpgSama11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

They sure as hell want to see if it is, time and time and time again.

VincentVanBro11d ago

You have to understand they’re incapable of writing a good story so this is the best they could come up with

thorstein11d ago

Well, after last weeks crying about historical accuracy. Now Ubi days, " Oh, okay, historical accuracy: here you go."

Now you're saying you don't want the accuracy? Can you guys just make up your minds?

11d ago
notatallsurprisinggg11d ago

It's a genuine click-bait snippet to rile up people like you to push traffic.

11d ago
11d ago
+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 11d ago
Show all comments (119)