A Question for the Tencent Chicken Littles (Chickens Little? Plurals are fun)

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innervation wrote:

Suppose Incursion and the two leagues that follow are your three favorite leagues ever created, each one better than the last. And also suppose that the MTX supporter packs that accompany those leagues have the best, most enchanting visuals and themes that you've seen yet. And further suppose that they announce 4.0 and it has everything you ever wanted them to change about the game and more...

would you still really not buy a pack? Even though it's the same employees who created all that content that got you to buy the other 5-10 packs you bought?

No no more packs. But if the game was that amazing a pizza guy might happen to turn up one friday lunchtime to GGGs office with a few slabs of beer attached.

There is always a way my young padawan.

Cheers,
Matt

I feel like I just got cheated on and am being asked to take her back even though she will just sleep around again. I dont know if I even care to play any more, let alone buy packs. I should give up gaming and do something productive I guess.

well we already have Incursion packs and they suck so what now OP?

I'm sure things look fine with your head in the sand.

The thing about it though, I understand people are upset with the tencent nonsense, as am I. But as the game is now, I enjoy it. And if they have to show tencent their earnings then us not supporting the game like we always have will only cause the game to die faster. Ill keep supporting as long as there are MTX that I want, just like I always have.

Well that's assuming that people actually bought SUPPORTER packs not for support, but for getting some silly MTX. I know, I'm not the right person to talk because I only have 2 cheap supporter packs spread out on 2 accounts (for stash tabs), so I am someone who just bought supporter packs for the GGG gold that comes with them. But I'm sure, many people actually sent money over to actually SUPPORT the long-term development of the game because they believed, Chris & co. had the right ideas.

Ill support them again until i feel like that they can do better job than before. Otherwise they will NOT get any cents from me.

I'm not here to invest. I'm not here because of politics or economics. I'm here to play a freakin' video game. If I like the product, I'll support that product. Some of my money will go towards the development of said product. Where the surplus may end up, I really do not care about - as long as the product is good.

A. Video. Game. Like it? Support. Don't like it? Go somewhere else. I'm a customer, not an investor.

Wallet is staying in my hip pocket.

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innervation wrote:

Suppose Incursion and the two leagues that follow are your three favorite leagues ever created, each one better than the last. And also suppose that the MTX supporter packs that accompany those leagues have the best, most enchanting visuals and themes that you've seen yet. And further suppose that they announce 4.0 and it has everything you ever wanted them to change about the game and more...

would you still really not buy a pack? Even though it's the same employees who created all that content that got you to buy the other 5-10 packs you bought?

Listen, man.

I'm slightly aware enough of business to know that supporter pack money is still primarily Grinding Gear's. The company needs to make money and be profitable or Tencent just wasted their dosh, and the only way to do that is to sell more packs. GGG has to keep doing what it's been doing or it dies, same as always. I'm not one of those who's screaming "EVERY DIME I PAY IS GOING TO TENCENT NOW FUCK THAT', because even if it was, those Tencent dimes go back to Grinding Gear based on its performance because one way or another the company and its people have to be paid. If Tencent wants GGG to continue to be a cash cow, GGG needs to be paid to work. Previously it was us doing it, and believe me I've done my part. Now? it's still 'us' doing it, one way or another.

The issue is that Grinding Gear has sacrificed their independence. Whatever they say about how much Tencent "respects independent developers", it doesn't matter - at any time, Tencent can stop respecting independent developers and start making demands that Grinding Gear is now legally obligated to obey. They can all be fired, their game taken away from them, and given to whoever Tencent wants if they don't do what their majority stakeholder says.

For better or worse, Tencent now owns the future of Path of Exile. it is extremely difficult to see how it could be 'better' instead of worse. Yes, Grinding Gear has improved financial stability now. That's really about it. A major Chinese gaming company owns this game. As I've said in several of these threads so far - have you looked at the Chinese online gaming market?

I will uninstall Path of Exile from my machine and write off every cent I've paid on it before I play the Chinese online casino version of Path of Exile. I will stop playing online games altogether before I allow the sorts of business practices endorsed by the Chinese market to earn a solitary bleeding cent from me. And yes, that also goes for EA and other large companies who're attempting similar policies - I don't play games that have a fundamental lack of respect for their player built into them.

Tencent makes, and/or backs, games with that disrespect built into them. That disrespect is an indelible signature of the Chinese market. Frankly, GGG's been pushing their luck with MTX crates as it is. I am allowed to be concerned.

I never said I was going to Stop Playing Forever. I never said I would Never Buy Anything Again. But I am for goddamned sure going to be keeping an eye on all this, and will be less likely to indulge in climbing the Pack Ladder in the future and making significant investments in Path. That was true before the Tencent announcement simply because I'm trying to teach myself better wallet control, but it's triply true now.

Tencent is the Chinese EA. You're goddamned right I'm going to be more wary with my cash now, broheim.