Former EA CEO & Unity CEO Says Devs Who Shun Microtransactions Are "The Biggest F***ing Idiots"

[@YongYea]

If this fucking idiot is calling you a fucking idiot, it means you're on the right track. PATREON: www.patreon.com/yongyea TWITTER: twitter.com/yongyea TOP PATRONS [CIPHER] - Joseph Lavoie [BIG BOSS] - Devon B - Jonathan Ball [BOSS] - Charlie Galvin - Gerardo Andrade - Michael Redmond - Peter Vrba - Time Dragonlord [LEGENDARY] - BattleBladeWar - D Kurtti - Theron Webb

[@iamryansanchez]

Hi yong

[@BubbyoftheMountain]

.

[@d.r.1471]

I love your channel

[@itz_frederick906_9]

Yea. Haaa. Yong.

[@quantum5661]

i cant say your wrong about that.

[@reagandow850]

I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone who was the former CEO at EA. That company forgot why they made games decades ago. There is no passion or charm or anything unique about the garbage they pump out these days. EA is dead to me.

[@buneco05]

Same. But it literally doesn't matter. The first review trailer they put up, people in general are just gonna hype and get the game. I'm not talking about people who comments, twittes, etc. People in general just don't don't care, just like ea

[@heickelrrx]

Hey, even EA ditch that guy, what u expect

[@HanDaimond]

The name itself has no meaning now. What "electronic arts"?

[@kaj7135]

It’s sad because 2000’s EA made the dopest games ever. Now they just make money off stupid people who enjoy shitty games.

[@Jonestimmyj1]

Yeah their last good game was a single player based game which they shun so until they off all the corporal heads that are clearly making the bad decisions and start EA at a brand new look entirely I think it's safe to say they're dead to almost every one of us.

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

The level of hubris of these corporates is unreasonable.

[@NemeczeK101]

Sheer Fucking Hubris

[@kaj7135]

At some point, wealth always conjures a noticeable detachment from reality.

[@redseagaming7832]

I believe the artist should be in control of the game not the businessman behind the desk who's only counting money while the artist is trying to create art

[@ItsJustTeddington]

@@kaj7135 Scummy, slimy, evil? Yes. Detached? No. Idiots keep giving them money hand over fist anyway. It keeps working and the consumers are just as much to blame.

[@Radman1889]

@@NemeczeK101 Thank you. I was about to make that quote myself

[@valervan]

As someone who used to study IT but now studies MBA, this is boiling my blood to see. The best business teachers will tell you that monetary gain is not the whole picture, and shouldn't be prioritized in determinant to customer satisfaction, loyalty and brand. This guy straight up doesn't understand concept of a good brand and just exploits known brands to cash grab. Truly disgusting and disgraceful.

[@Flaris]

It's a sad and twisted point of view for sure. EA doesn't need to worry about brand quality or loyalty. They can just run any brand they have into the ground and bleed them dry. After they kill that brand they can use their money to go out and buy new brands that haven't died yet to repeat the cycle. Absolutely disgusting, but I'm sure for them it's a successful model.

[@adamg7984]

It's weird how most of the companies in the gaming industry, at least larger companies, seem to share this sentiment. Like where are the properly taught CEO's who know how to not run a business into the ground with unsustainable success? They almost all seem to be greedy to the point of parody. They don't seem to consider for a moment the long term damage they're doing to their brands and, most importantly, the sustainability of the industry. It's going to collapse on the bigger companies if they think microtransactions and basically unregulated gambling is the way to go. They will hit a point of stagnation because they've chosen a path that has a much shorter path of growth. Especially with the economic downturn we're all facing, I don't see them sustaining this choice of industry norms. They've basically put themselves into a spot where they have no choice but to focus on exploitative nonsense or risk disappointing investors and thus crashing. But there's no way that has a longer life span than just standard product release since the movie industry still hasn't crashed or at least not fallen apart in spite of using basically the same business model for a very long time with only a handful of new avenues of spending for consumers. I'd like to know what you think of that take actually if you have experience in business school, etc.

[@PicturesqueGames]

I don't study MBA but i have arrived to the same exact conclusion years ago. It's just a basic psychological and monetary analysis. Those who reach for the money first, customer be damned, end up with no money and no customers in the long run.

[@MonochromaticPrism]

@@adamg7984 " Like where are the properly taught CEO's who know how to not run a business into the ground with unsustainable success?" The problem is the focus on quarterly gains. A CEO is bound to the shareholders (who only care that number goes up on their investment) and whatever contract the board wrote up that the CEO signed (requiring them to try and make the number go up). On top of that the CEO usually has a contract that gives them big bonuses if the quarterly gains are above a certain amount (giving them a financial incentive to make number go up). A good CEO would have to forego their bonuses knowing that number going up only a little or not at all is fine if the long term profit will be more overall, but long term strategies take multiple years and that CEO would end up fired after only a single year.

[@darter9000]

Former EA CEO: “Only idiots doesn’t spend every waking moment of their lives thinking about more money.” The EA legacy right there folks.

[@ricardohoang8452]

Right in the former CEO

[@hafirenggayuda]

While I dislike his greed and arrogance, I'm surprised on this "honesty". I bet if he still CEO at EA, he wont talk about this kind of thing

[@TheRealRusDaddy]

He will die and be destitute his mountains of money wount mean dick when he crosses over

[@fosphor8920]

@@hafirenggayuda they are most likely bound by contract to not damage their reputation so they can make more monies!

[@Nihilisterplayz]

Wasn't this the same company that mictrotransations are fun gimmick for kids....

[@HarbingerOfRespite]

Activision Blizzard set the bar pretty high for this year's "Worst Company in America" with Immortal. Naturally, EA is going to step up their game to defend their title. It truly is amazing that one company was able to win that title multiple years in a row. That is some seriously impressive determination on EA's part to be the worst company they possibly could, given how much effort it took to be the worst company in a country with millions of companies multiple times in a row.

[@DiscoFinalBoss]

I’m just looking forward to see how Bethesda and Ubisoft will try to top it.

[@paperluigi6132]

@@DiscoFinalBoss Ubisoft is French, though.

[@luciebaha9436]

EA and Activision has ruined everything for me.

[@DiscoFinalBoss]

@@paperluigi6132 oh lol, I keep forgetting. It does look like they trying to compete though.

[@RodaMoonknight]

This isn't EA, it's Unity's CEO and ex EA CEO

[@skynet0912]

Having done some business selling cars myself, one of the BIGGEST mistakes a business can make, is make the customer feel like they were kinda forced into buying something they didn't really need... The best people in the business take time with the customer to figure out exactly what they need, like how much they use their car, how many people they usually drive, do you have a lot of stop starts, do you want something with power, does it need to be quiet, does it have to help with physical disabilities and so forth... If the customer feels like the salesperson listened, helped them find the perfect car, and in general just made them feel like buying a car was a great experience, there's a big chance that the customer will come back... Returning customers is what your business should be striving for, so if you sell them a car that they didn't actually needed or really wanted, you might get 8-10,000$ more out of the deal in the short term, but you also just GUARANTEED that the customer won't come back if they need a new car again down the line, and might even make them tell their friends and family not to go to your business! So for a short term profit, you not only lost a returning customer, but also potentially new customers down the line because of bad press and word fo mouth... This is exactly what companies like EA, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard are doing

[@jakehero95]

Yup, but apparently we're the idiots still somehow 🙄

[@iqbaalannaafi4944]

A satisfied customer is a returning customer. But apparently, the ex-CEO of EA doesn't want to satisfy his customers.

[@0boro]

A few years ago I used to think indies were cute little distractions to play for a few hours as I waited for the next blockbuster hit. Nowadays indie games tend do be my most anticipated of the year. Not all AAA developers are scumbags but the ones that I used to enjoy certainly have become and it's thanks to the brainless, talentless and passionless suits like this guy that this is the direction the industry is going. Long live the indies, support the little guys.

[@TheRealRusDaddy]

Learn to love waiting for kenshi 2

[@JimC607]

Is there any AAA devs left who aren't partaking in scummy business practices?

[@roadsign289]

@@JimC607 the one that comes to most people's mind rn is probably fromsoftware

[@JimC607]

@@roadsign289 Yeah that's fair but I still think that taking down the Dark Souls PTD edition to force people to buy the remaster is a scummy business practice. Probably their only offence tbh but it's still a pretty bad one.

[@Maruun1986]

I totaly agree to this, for the past years i look more forward to indie games then to AAA games. Because the moment i start getting excited for a AAA games the first question: "How bad will be the microtransaction?", "Live-Service again?", "Ah, climbing again on a tower in a Open World to discover stuff around me, nothing new but it looks pretty...."

[@christopherherr7561]

What these corporate types don't understand is why we don't like their practices. They're like children who try to force a square into a circle hole and frustrated when it doesn't work. They're so disconnected from the common man.

[@blackwing7999]

I think that the corporate heads of the AAA gaming industry understand why we don’t like their practices, but believe that they can win the war of attrition. They simply believe that if they keep banging the square into the circle hole, the hole will eventually break into shape through brute force and time.

[@dx-ek4vr]

Well, how exactly are those poor CEOs supposed to buy megayachts and live like oligarchs without microtransactions though?

[@kurtrussell4527]

@@blackwing7999 sad but they have already won

[@formorian5]

@@kurtrussell4527 the biggest game this year was a single player, non-live-service game with no micropayments. Nintendo has been putting out hit after hit with no exploitative elements. Steam and other services are bursting with artistically driven indie games. EA and their ilk make their money by copying what's popular and exploiting the stupid, and that dries up eventually. How do I know? Because we've been here before. At the end of 90s, after years of games comimg out that pushed the medium forward, publishers tried to convince use we just wanted to pay to run on hamster wheels in some of the first multiplayer-focused games. They failed, and the 00s saw new single-player titles like Half Life 2, Bioshock, Portal, and more. Or in the 80s, when the flood of uncreative, poorly designed crap eventually collapsed into a crash that nearly destroyed the industry.

[@razorsharp5643]

Their lifestyle is so disconnected from the regular world, it doesn't surprise me. Narcissists, workaholics and incredibly self-serving people who think they deserve a salary that's a hundred times the salary of a normal person aren't the best at making critical decisions. After all, a leader should be people-serving, not self-serving.

[@KristianKumpula]

Meanwhile Larian Studios pulled themselves out of the brink of bankruptcy and grew into a big self-publishing studio just by making great games with genuine passion and without exploiting anybody.

[@biffdakid]

Let’s hope ea doesn’t try to “acquire” Latina studios

[@vastolordes6272]

"You Devs are Fucking Idiots for not wanting to make us More money, while we pay you under what you should make and treat you like your just a Number"

[@Roman-ji7iu]

Yep. I highly doubt the devs see any of that extra money from microtransactions, and only lose their reputation for caving & including them in their game.

[@juliotorres3147]

@@Roman-ji7iu which is hilarious when they come around crying that they don’t like it but have been taking the paycheck for years. Hard to show sympathy

[@Roman-ji7iu]

@@juliotorres3147 Many of them don't have much of choice with how much of industry is taken up by these corporate giants. Like it or not they still need to put food on table. Though I'm sure there's plenty that fit your description with no excuses.

[@citizenvulpes4562]

@@Roman-ji7iu don't forget, it's EA. The company that's known to shut down dev teams for no reason. RIP Visceral games, you died when EA failed to monetize dead space.

[@citizenvulpes4562]

@@Roman-ji7iu all the more reason for devs to start a strike. Just say fuck the deadlines, fuck this, and walk out. Too bad people are spineless and organizing strikes is seen as a bad thing. Big corporations are killing the industry.

[@colin3ds1]

This really makes me realize that these CEOs arent just mindless money chasing machines without a thought It makes me realize they know exactly what they are doing when they stamp out creativity and release awful products and statements All those empty quotes that dont mean anything They didnt even know what they meant when they wrote them

[@colorpg152]

see what i mean when i say money is the root of all evil, yes i know can be evil in other ways but money makes it infinity easier

[@JamesDavy2009]

@@colorpg152 The _love of_ money is the root of all evil.

[@colorpg152]

@@JamesDavy2009 pride, greed, sloth, lust gluttony, envy and wrath i never really understood the last one

[@Archetype77]

@@JamesDavy2009 glad you pointed that out, it's an important distinction.

[@Archetype77]

Cool story bro, now go be a tool for tyrannical communists because you don't know anything about business except a few quotes from bad examples of CEOs in companies that make video games, a silly luxury. First world problems are weak justification to trash the most successful system ever created by man. Never before have the masses had this much wealth and opportunity. Our poor are rich compared to any place and time in history. But there's some meanies in charge of game companies so let's throw it all out

[@LlanHeinrich]

This man, he's the type of CEO that forces devs to shove some shitty monetization down the consumer's throats then blame the devs when the game tanks because of it.

[@hilotakenaka]

Fun fact: John Riccitello was the namesake for the main antagonist of Travis Strikes Again, Damon Riccitello, with Suda51 using said character’s abusive nature towards the game developer character, Dr Juvenile, as an allegory for how he had virtually no say in the game he made when partnered with EA. Said EA game was released as Shadows of the Damned, which many Suda fans see as the worst Suda51 game. Good to see that even back then people were calling him a scumbag

[@KaiserAfini]

Suda is someone who puts a piece of himself in every game, making them both enjoyably weird and full of his personal philosophy. The industry would be worse without devs like him, but would be better without someone like Riccitiello, who has contributed NOTHING to creating even a single game.

[@pootissandvichhere9135]

Yeah, EA was sabotaging left and right because they thought the stuff Suda made was way too weird, not knowing it’s that bizarre charm that drew people in. His kill the past motif meant putting Damon and SotD characters in NMH TSA was basically him venting and coming to terms with what happened.

[@MsHojat]

Huh. I follow video games and video games quite a bit, but I've literally never heard of Travis Strikes again nor Shadows of the Damned nor Suda nor Grasshopper Manufacture (the proper developer name)

[@pootissandvichhere9135]

Also Damon was a piss easy boss and died pathetically, so Suda was effectively calling the real man a spineless ass who couldn’t back up what spouted

[@cream_city]

Idk…it did have The Boner in it 😂.

[@kimlee6643]

Riccitiello: "These dudes who create stuff with creation in mind, fucking idiots" Miyazaki (in a recent interview): "Yeah we don't know why ER took off like that, we'll look into it I guess. Anyway, I have new ideas." One of these people is universally appreciated. The other works so he can have the latest BMW every other month, or whatever the fuck people like that are into.

[@veggiedragon1000]

Which interview was that? I'd like to read another pure Miyazaki interview to rinse my mouth after this supervillain garbage.

[@kiryuchansboyfriend]

Games industry in a nutshell: EA, Activision, Ubisoft, Take Two/Rockstar, Square Enix, Konami, Tencent, Epic, Capcom: _nooooooo people aren't getting coerced by look boxes as easily! now we have to come up with a new monetization strategy for our live service..._ FromSoft, Nintendo, Kojima, and half of Sony's studios: _woah our game kinda blew up. huh. anyway, here's this new idea I had..._ 343, Bethesda, CDPR, and the other half of Sony's studios: _haha idk wtf we're doing_

[@LarixusSnydes]

Still studio Ghibli lends their talents to a MTX laden Ni No Kuni mobile game series.

[@Legion849]

@@kiryuchansboyfriend Capcom is the lesser evil among them. As for Square Enix they are investing in NFTS following Ubisoft as their mentor

[@Ch4pp13]

@@Legion849 They have a bunch of talented people working for them. Too bad they're being led by an out-of-touch businessman. Thank god for Creative Business unit 3, though...

[@Wolf-Nyan]

It’s still unbelievably hilarious to me that EA (or just corporate higher-ups in general nowadays) will make such insane statements or try to defend their philosophy of rampant monetization, then fail at everything they do, and receive only backlash from their poor decisions. “This industry divides people between those who still hold onto that old philosophy, and those who massively embrace how to figure out what makes a successful product.” When I read this I couldn’t help but go: so how your company is clinging to its monetization philosophy and has become the most hated company of the decade? meanwhile the ‘fucking idiots’ are making grand slams and raking in millions by doing everything you aren’t? The things you fanatically insist don’t work anymore, but still generate huge profits and positive press?’ can’t remember the last time I heard anything good from EA, or bought a game made by them.. but I can go on for hours about the games made by ‘fucking idiots’ and how good they are and how much I look forward to buying their next title or DLC expansion.

[@jakehero95]

👏🗣 One more time for the cracked out CEOs in the back that are too pathetically up their own asses to see truth. Imagine being so delusionally ignorant you think like this EA guy, couldn't be me that's for sure. And somehow *we're* the idiots lol

[@TheGoondas87]

I feel this was less of a news video and more of a chance for Yong to vent a lot of his frustrations with the greedy higher ups in the video games industry. This is why I like these videos. They arent a sterile regurgitation of other articles and facts. Yong is comfortable being open and honest about his thoughts and opinions on the matters. And most of the times his opinions follow a good moral compass. You keep doing you Yong.

[@jonahabenhaim1223]

Stay Young Yong

[@darkoverlord4447]

“The micro transactions have gotten immoral and out of hand” “You guys are idiots that’s the point”

[@redseagaming7832]

Guess what at the game developer says that they're releasing the game without microtransactions I'll actually buy that game no questions asked because I believe microtransactions should not be in a $60 game I believe they should be banned because why would I spend money on digital items or cosmetics in the game when I can actually buy another game instead of wasting money and time on a free to play economy in a $60 game

[@khebre6032]

Am i really gonna destroy everyone's Favourite Franchises for money? OF COURSE I AM. -EA

[@thehevandragon]

@Red Sea Gaming Even if the game winds up being total trash ?

[@Nudgarrobot]

@@redseagaming7832 ?? You just described the most unobtrusive form of micros and then claimed they should be banned, while talking about how they're completely optional, cosmetic, and aren't even appealing to you. Like, I get hating micros, because poor implementation of monetization schemes has horribly impacted a whole shitton of games, but your call to ban here makes no sense whatsoever lol

[@Hauntaku]

@@khebre6032 Even MySims couldn't escape EA's stupidity - they rushed out ports

[@MarcKhouryStory]

It's funny how this "genius" CEO is essentially confirming he fails miserably at generating tons of profit from a great game without implementing mAcro-transactions. A truly great CEO or business person would be able to figure it out. As many have done before (including old EA) and continue to do so today.

[@cherrydragon3120]

A good business man can generate money without having to result to cheating systems and misleading consumers

[@tiisetsohlatshwayo536]

The problem is when business men started taking over the gaming industry it's the reason why some games are half baked, or why games get re released over and over again it's a shame honestly

[@lautarogomez9711]

We have to destroy business if we want a better world

[@ihavepissinmybrain]

There’s nothing wrong with re-releases if they’re good ports. Bringing games to new consoles continues the game’s lifespan. People like to complain about Skyrim and GTA V, but those same people keep buying them when they re-release and enjoy them, so c’est la vie.

[@Providence..]

@@lautarogomez9711 Disagree, that's too far and equally as insane. If you destroy business, you destroy the global economy. Thank God people like you aren't in power.

[@CrosbyNu]

16 times the detail

[@utubepunk]

You'll find this is true in all aspects of life. Corporations just make shit worse. They take something good & infect it. Other corporations follow suit by copying the trend & soon enough, you can't escape the suck as it permeates everything.

[@NelsonPimenta93]

I seriously have no idea what has happened to the gaming industry, honest to god. It's actually terrifying how much video games have changed in last 10 years

[@jman72898]

They became super mainstream and monetized up the fuckin ass. That’s what happened.

[@ICharlyl]

Capitalism at its worst.

[@sandiego8817]

gaming is business 😎. you can clearly see the big differences on the last 2 decades.

[@3XPLOSlV3]

It's a sad situation, devs are forced to implement micro transactions and schemes for users to waste money instead of focusing on making a good games

[@happilyisolated]

Stop generalizing what EA does as the industry as a whole. We all know what EA does is downright awful both in and out of the industry but that's EA. Ubisoft and Activision/Blizzard have some screw ups too but they aren't the entire industry. Let's have a level head here please and ty.

[@mizu7662]

Oh, I see, all these years I have been making a terrible mistake. I thought soulless corporate drones just couldn't appreciate good art in the form of a video game if it took a bite out of their ass so they didn't realize what they were ruining. Turns out they are fully capable of understanding it and made the conscious choice to burn it, piss on the ashes, and try to sell those ashes for a quick buck.

[@ProvenJade]

I love you. LOL

[@ProvenJade]

so well said

[@rikkiwatson3927]

EA's entire board of executives is like a gathering of cartoonish villains at the legion of doom

[@paulrasmussen8953]

But even tgey weresmarter tgen this

[@peterholmes7440]

That’s like, worse than a Disney villain.

[@paulrasmussen8953]

@@peterholmes7440 when they get beyond Disney Evil

[@guguy00]

Only 10 times less competent

[@FallacyXI]

These corporate dinosaurs have never played a game in their lives and couldn't imagine any reason to make a game other than to milk as much money out of consumers as they can possibly get away with.

[@tiga8600]

They probably can't figer out how to hit start on any games menu's

[@ihavepissinmybrain]

@@tiga8600 Fuckin’ destroyed them.

[@Archetype77]

It's silly to pretend that there's either the mentality of microtransactions or you're just making games for the passion of it. No developers are making games just for the passion they're doing it for the money, it's a job. They're doing a huge amount of work that otherwise would be incredibly dumb and wasteful for them and if they're really doing it just for the passion, they're welcome to give it all away for free lol. They have passion, sure, but that's not what is creating these games and providing the distribution and advertising. The point is that microtransactions are not the only strategy for success, to turn this into a criticism of all profit is the stupidest thing you could do.

[@Nihilisterplayz]

There out of touch

[@arandompasserby7940]

I will die arguing that the worst thing to ever happen to video games was truly becoming a major form of entertainment in the early-mid 2000's and started to out-perform the movie industry. At that point, the same kinds of people who ruined Hollywood obviously turned their greedy eyes to interactive entertainment...

[@homelessperson5455]

If this guy is the CEO of Unity, that's super concerning considering Unity's biggest strentgh is probably it's ease of access to new/indie devs.

[@Z-ro-gs8hz]

Agreed. I can see now how things like the RE Engine and others will become industry standards to stay away from Unity. Because if the goal is monetization for Unity now, they will try to also squeeze indie devs and other companies that try to make games with their engine. This statement and the merger goal will come back to bite Unity in the Ass in the Long Run. Because most of the profits aren't going to the company or the Shareholders, instead it's going to the CEO (Raise of 150% = 22 Million), and as they fire more employees less start wanting to work for them and we have an Activision Blizzard situation happening all over again, and Unity engine looses the status.

[@Aereto]

Unity has been pretty bad for several years for new devs because of its business model to squeeze not only the customers but devs as well by piling subscription service with royalties. People never listened to the warning signs and instead got enticed by the tons of lesson programs and tutorials, and only just now their decisions are coming back to haunt them. Those who have been diversifying programming and scripting languages would notice the high volume of educators for Unity compared to Unreal and Godot.

[@n3rfdr4gon99]

I'd argue that its strength seems to be flooding the market with asset flipping devs that couldn't sell "suck" to a vacuum cleaner, despite how much their games suck. Using the engine is all fine and good if you have actual creative input. However, I think ease of access can be a detriment as much as a selling point given how rampant the issues have been on Steam. It's a shame really, since plenty of solid and memorable games have been made with Unity without practicing the drivel this clown of a CEO has been spouting.

[@tallinnteyvat]

Well, congratulations. You called it

[@CryptTheNecromancer]

This is goes to show the whole "Devs" vs "CEOs" debacle. Imagine the audacity you have to have to go out, with your face exposed to the world, giving this statement. Imagine what people are gona think of you, permenantly afterwards. Now when this dude walks into a studio with the title of being your "boss" no dev will trust you

[@krazycharlie]

This is the kind of statement that closes more doors than it opens when you go looking for your next job. And it would serve him right.

[@CryptTheNecromancer]

@@krazycharlie it sucks for those trying to get into the industry too, cuz then they get the notion of what to AVOID rather than what to go for

[@kallemetsahalme5701]

im sure there are some devs who agree and spend the entire time making a game thinking "how can i make the most money? i need to build this boss to be a huge difficulty spike so the xp boost will be more attracting" every single job in world has people who have absolutely no passion towards it. job is means to get money and if ceo promises more of it then its yay. need to remember that while the ceos and such give statements like this its the devs who make the paywalls and dlcs happen

[@zenthedying91]

wouldn't be to surprised the person in question will have an "accident" happen to them. along with many other ceo's like this person.

[@MrArrow54]

@@kallemetsahalme5701 I doubt it, devs don't make money on sales. The incentives to make scummy cash shop games would come from the ppl who profit from the sales and not from the salary employe who is lucky to get a bonus if the game sells enough copies. That's not to say the dev won't do those things but he would do them after being directed by a manager.

[@JauStudioFR]

This man is turning Unity into an advertisement company that also has a game engine. He just fired devs to "fix" the shares value. Worst kind of capitalist... Btw, I'm a proud idiot !

[@FutureChaosTV]

He will destroy Unity.

[@bltzcstrnx]

@@FutureChaosTV actually it's inline with Unity's goal. Almost all gatcha mobile game out there are made with Unity. The biggest one is Genshin Impact for example. They (Unity) owned the gatcha mobile game market.

[@Aereto]

I never recommended Unity for actual game dev because the high volume of tutorials and educational lessons and assets for Unity Engine always struck me as suspicious. My intuition is spot on. Those suckers are left with only C# and not much experience with other languages.

[@305backup]

Youre finally waking up. Epic Games does the same exact shit because they own Unreal enfine so nobody wants to hold them accountable because they might not get to use unreal engine 5. I say fuck that. If this keeps on, I may just boycott every game made with Unreal Engine and honestly everyone else who knows the value of a dollar should too.

[@JauStudioFR]

@@305backup I'm not expert in dollar value, I'm not from USA. I'm not waking up either, but I would love all of this capitalist madness to be a nightmare. Epic is not selling advertisement but their treatment of some employees and the way they push features without fixing previous ones, letting the community do the support themselves etc... and the way they let crypto sneak inside their platform (even UE5 plugins) is ******* unacceptable !

[@Aziraal-Starhammer]

It explains why more and more people prefer Indie developers/games. The passion and care makes better games, things AAA developers have been losing. It's unfortunate that many have lost the understanding that games are a form of art first. Make good art, it sells itself. It's especially sad when you can see the sparks of life in some corporate games, but they were never allowed to blossom.

[@Katy133]

As an indie game developer, the whole recent Unity news is so disheartening to hear about. I feel bad for devs who are currently working on games that use Unity, or had plans to.

[@itspouria]

Godot is the way to go, with Godot 4 right around the corner (hopefully).

[@imraanakollo-arenz1449]

It was saddening as hell. It made me get off my ass and start learning Unreal in case shit goes pear shaped.

[@rangersfanfromjersey2436]

Glad I'm using Unreal right now instead

[@minty1059]

Wait what's happening to Unity?!?

[@Choppytehbear1337]

What happened?

[@ASA-ux7cg]

Who else but them would know just how much money these devs are missing out on by not financially exploiting their customers?

[@Alias_Anybody]

Perfect next step after a stock exchange with a malware company. "Exploitation is in our DNA" EA ehh Unity

[@campernocamping1]

Imagine having ethics as a designer; it's almost like people have emotions or something.

[@traplover6357]

"Innovation" for them is adding ways for people to spend money.

[@Astaticembrace]

I'm actually not sure they're worse off the way they are now because of impulsive players, rich people and children with lenient parents.

[@hafirenggayuda]

As seen on many gacha games and Diablo Immortal for recent example, he's right. They already sacrifice dignity and reputation for money (a ton of money) they already know many people already addicted to this "gambling" and targetting them specifically.

[@Ryattt81]

From his perspective he is right. When your goal is making as much money as possible off of any game, great or trash, then sure, these devs are idiots. If your goal is to develope a game that people can purchase and enjoy at a fair price, maintaining your integrity, human decency, and morals then maybe not so much....all a matter of perspective.

[@Lucas02000]

This right here, like you dont blame a cobra for poisoning you its just in their nature.

[@Lucas02000]

@Hobomaster that too im not defending him but im just saying im not surprised when its a business guy and not an artist who takes pride in their craft.

[@augustday9483]

Even from the perspective of pure profit, there's a point when brand loyalty and positive press will make you more long term success than the greedy route. CEOs like this are all about squeezing a company dry then leaving with their golden parachutes before suffering the consequences of their poor business decisions.

[@Lawlsomedude]

"They're the most beautiful and pure, brilliant people. They're also some of the biggest fucking idiots." - a word for word quote from a movie villain

[@FazeParticles]

Yes but what are we going to do about. We can’t shame villains as they don’t care about the shame. They’ll deny and gaslight us til the cows come home.

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

@@FazeParticles ignore them or tell them over and over why they are wrong

[@FazeParticles]

@@MGrey-qb5xz i think a collective spanking is in order and it's our responsibility to make that a reality against our "opposition". the alternative is to surrender and let them continue to govern us into the ground. no thx man.

[@ma.2089]

Very cute of the guy to call the devs brilliant, talented, and that he loves to “work” with them….and then calls them idiots. Him bragging about how long he’s been in the industry is hilarious.

[@darthsidious4499]

He definitely emits a severe case of narcissistic and sociopathic behavior but then again, most CEOS do.

[@lilporky8565]

He didn't say work, he said *fight* . And that makes it even worse.

[@mizu7662]

Pretty much all you need to know about game executives. They look at people who want to make fun engaging pieces of art for people to enjoy and say 'but what about all that money you are leaving on the floor by not making it awful?'.

[@Hauntaku]

@@mizu7662 Meanwhile, Wayforward has been making amazing games since Shantae first released on the Gameboy.

[@kevnar]

EA Developer: "I have this brillian idea for a game that creates a truly beautiful and thrilling experience for players the world over. It will be a huge hit and make a lot of money." EA CEO: "Can we turn it into a Skinner box that exploits players for even more money even after their original purchase? If not, then forget it. We need to make ALL the money."

[@miswiredkenya7320]

As an indie dev, I've been watching a lot of kickstarter scam videos, and one thing I noticed is that a lot of the devs in these scams think a lot like this CEO. Ultimately, video games are no longer a passion project for a lot of devs, at least in the AAA sphere, but a way to squeeze out the most from players in the shortest amount of time in order to satisfy arbitrary targets set out by some executive in a comfy office who doesn't face any backlash unless they say something dumb like this. While money is important, it shouldn't form the basis for why a game exists. And that's why you see a lot of backlash from fanbases of established franchises (Diablo, Pokemon, WoW, Skate, FIFA, Madden, etc) as the company moves further away from the standard they set for themselves when they started. It's not that fans/players aren't interested in linear, single player games out there. It's more that they aren't interested in what executives think we are.

[@Pocket_Sized_Satan]

Nintendo is less like orher triple a games they just make minor in game transactions to keep up but as far as transactions go its waaay lesss scummy and most there games dont have that kinda thing its all in dlc’s now

[@loulou3676]

@@Pocket_Sized_Satan I almost exclusively play Nintendo games and my spouse plays retro games and Dark souls/elden ring. I was shocked to learn that those are the exception to the rule, and basically every game that's NOT one of the ones I just listed, is all about pay to unlock characters and levels, paid "reward" tracks to get items, "energy"/"resin" type systems where the amount of time you play is limited, gacha everywhere etc etc. Why are people tolerating this?? Just play Mario, you buy the game once and you can play it as much as you like. It's sad but thankfully the retro game library is so extensive, even if Nintendo goes the path of "pay $50 for 50 Pokeballs for a 1% chance at Mewtwo" or "Zelda but you have to either pay money or wait 3 hours to do another dungeon" there will always be the old games that give you so much more entertainment for so much less cost

[@NittanyTiger1]

@@Pocket_Sized_Satan Oh no, Nintendo does engage in predatory monetization. They just keep it to their mobile games.

[@miswiredkenya7320]

@@Pocket_Sized_Satan Yeah. I was more talking about the Sword/Shield controversy and how most fans disliked the handling of the Pokemon franchise. Otherwise Nintendo isn't doing anything that is unexpected or scummy

[@leon4000]

Most executives probably haven't played a video game in their lives. So why should we care about their words when they probably don't give us a break or even learn from the feedback?

[@TBoneTony]

Saturo Iwata was not just a Businessman but he was also a Gamer and a Game Developer.

[@MaMastoast]

Speaking as both an indie game developer and life-long gamer, I am deeply frustrated and saddened by statements like this... It's not so much the statement itself, but the attitude it comes from and how it has changed most high-end video games at a fundamental level. Working with games every day and being exposed to the ever increasing disgusting monetization schemes crammed into modern games is extremely disheartening... what's worse is that it works... AAA games are as popular as ever and indie games have an extremely difficult time even being noticed. As a kid I dreamt of working at large companies like Blizzard and Bioware... These days I am happy to work at a company small enough to operate with a sense of ethics.

[@razorsharp5643]

Good on you for doing what you actually enjoy. These people like the "CEO" in question have been raised and brought up in a greed-filled society and are detached from reality. Ironically, although people like him are hard workers which is generally good, their obsession and entitlement to these incredible salaries and profits has warped their conception of what stuff like gaming is really about.

[@gamerinatrance3618]

@@razorsharp5643 Who said they're even hard workers though? Many of these guys inherited their wealth or got lucky and bought something that became massively popular over time (Bill Gates for example).

[@OriginalUnjustifier]

My advice to you is to find some people who enjoy trying out indie games and posting it on KZbin, and giving a few keys to them in order to generate exposure(Or doing it yourself if you are so inclined). I cannot tell you how many times I've seen a 1-2 KZbin videos on an indie title that led me to pick it up, but I can try to give a few examples...there was Rimworld, FTL, Invisible Inc, Into the Breach, and of course my favorite of the lot, Crosscode, and this is just what I can recall of the top of my head since I'm not booting up my consoles to find others. But the point is, seeing someone play your game is probably one of the most effective forms of advertising there is, though I admit certain styles of games are better suited for this type of strategy than others.

[@MaMastoast]

@@razorsharp5643 Sadly it goes well beyond him as a person.. The entire market and the way people view games has changed over the last 10 years or so. we no longer buy games, we buy storefronts for publishers to push more stuff onto us, be it skins, xp boosts or whatever

[@MaMastoast]

@@OriginalUnjustifier I appreciate your advice, however it's sadly not quite as simple :) Luckily I'm an artist and not a marketing guy, but while Rimworld, FTL ect are all certainly welll made indie games deserving of their success, they are also extremely lucky.. As an indie company you are very much at the mercy of the chaos of the internet.. For every FTL there are a 100 other well made indie games that never see the light of day because they drown in all the AAA marketing.

[@SmilesEdgeworth]

God, imagine being so scummy EA doesn't even want you...

[@KL53986]

Definitely this wont make investors happy or medias either, its ruining the reputation into the ground which they dont care as theres no real consequences.

[@kyonbrace5487]

Until all the investors dissappear

[@JojyAsmir]

EA has never had a positive reputation. They've been an ever growing dumpster fire of bad press since the late 80s, and it's only picked up pace with time. Their games still sell and people still buy the microtransactions in them.

[@french6013]

@@kyonbrace5487 nah as long as they are making their money back from the whales who spend money on micros they dont care either

[@trashdakid3682]

@@french6013 Big facts. Fifa alone makes EA a ton of money every year, and they don't have to put much effort in it.

[@danmiy12]

they dont care about reputation though, just that you made more money then last quarter, if you didnt then they get mad regardless of how many people you messed up.

[@traplover6357]

God, get these non-gaming investors out of gaming companies. We need a cap on hobby companies that grow too big to fail

[@jamedo8819]

Yeah I agree

[@BonzerMrT]

It just sucks cause the actual people that care don’t have enough money to have their own studios

[@jehutyprime]

He’s everything I expected a high-ranking EA exec to be.

[@happytimes8623]

human greed knows no bounds

[@Planag7]

Indeed. The fact that I saw Mercedes started to charge $12 a month for heated seats... Ugh. It's spreading...

[@happytimes8623]

@@Planag7 although the world is looking more bleak by the day, dont lose hope my friend, a better day will come

[@ahmataevo]

You assume they are human, that is your first mistake.

[@eunaosouobatman9684]

Human*?, nah, i know some real workers that don't offer loot box as part of their work and their work doesn't have LeGaCy FeAtUrEs

[@S4ns]

You can't spell grEAd without EA.

[@JBrander]

I've long reached a point where if I see anything that has EA on it, I will not only ignore it but will try to blacklist it if I can. This goes the same for Blizzard. And tbh, I don't feel left out. There are tons of other games out there, from companies who still care to passionate indie devs. I mean, in the past 3 yrs alone I've been playing mostly indie titles. I BARELY noticed the "triple A" games that went by.

[@STStillwell]

I can break his whole speech with one concept. Game "devs" don't make a fraction of the money recieved from microtransactions. The microtransacrions only serve to muddy the product they are trying to deliver. Imagine working tirelessly day in and out to build a trash product that no one wanted, only to watch the CEO's pockets get bigger and then have those same CEO's tell you you are an idiot for not falling in line. I'd rather someone literally spit in my face.

[@pechugaslarou3433]

What a great video, Yong. In an age filled with greed, idiocy, and disaster, it's good to hear an intelligent and honest voice. Thanks a lot.

[@activatewindows]

Such contempt for their consumers. Glad I haven’t bought an EA title since 360 days.

[@TheForbidden_1ne]

I was about to buy an EA game in the near future but they made that shit F2P, which we all know what that shit entails

[@trashdakid3682]

@@TheForbidden_1ne it was skate 4 wasn't it? A beloved series that might be ruined with this newest release.

[@kirara2516]

I think the last EA game I bought was Burnout 3: Takedown. That's a fun game. Simple, but fun.

[@einarsa7196]

360 days? My last buy was NHL 2005 loool.

[@ebenezerberty9032]

I think Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars: Squadrons and It Takes Two are my only EA games this past generation

[@tundrafire2590]

It's a damn shame businesses learned how to trick the brain, it's gotten to the point where even if the company should have failed and learned a lesson on releasing a bad game, they're able to stay afloat and thrive by manipulating their customer base

[@serenegrace2515]

Recalling the words of an old economics teacher: "what are corporations made for? To make money. That's it." Economists, financial officers are good for making money and making money alone. The substance of the instance is lost in the process.

[@fosphor8920]

how did they convince people that this on a massive scale called capitalism was a good idea?

[@arx3516]

@@fosphor8920 the essence of capitalism has always existed.

[@fosphor8920]

@@arx3516 uh greed?

[@meferswift]

@@fosphor8920 yes. You could always have a communism instead.

[@fosphor8920]

@@meferswift you must be american right?

[@madjoe8622]

The management working at EA are psychos. I knew someone that worked for EA early 2000. A project manager told him he liked to hire nerdy guys, that were looking frail and pale (never going outside), to overwork them. He said something like "I enjoy pressing them like a fruit until there's not a drop of juice".

[@Hauntaku]

That's bonkers bad fur day

[@HUYI1]

That's obscene, these CEOs are hell incarnate 😱😱

[@ManyYser]

I don't have a source, but I have heard working conditions have improved since then

[@madjoe8622]

@@ManyYser Yes, that was 20 years ago. Hopefully things have improved. But there's still a lot of crush time, which is basically slave work (not paid).

[@megasean3000]

Would not surprise me in the slightest if these game companies’ predatory practices cause a second gaming crash.

[@Outside998]

If anything crashes, it will be the AAA market.

[@Z-ro-gs8hz]

I'm pretty sure it won't be a gaming crash. It will be the AAA Market Crash.

[@roonkolos]

Someone from EA proves how the company is ran by a bunch of tools? Must be a day ending in Y

[@Memememe-is1yn]

"Think of all the money that we could make, think of the COMPLIANCE!!!" - Former EA CEO

[@redseagaming7832]

There is no hope for any game released from Electronic Arts I've been boycotting that company for years I have not bought a single Electronic Arts game except Dead Space because I found that to be the best Electronic Arts game ever

[@TokinoSora10thApostle]

The thing is he could step down from UNITY and still get his CEO position elsewhere. His portfolio get stronger so I won't be surprised if Adobe hire him as the next one. America leading no1 in capitalism let's GOOOOOOOOO

[@giftheck]

This is the guy who decided to go 'yeah, let's merge with a known malware developer' Sure, I'll take his opinion seriously 🙄

[@taags]

Would not surprise me if he gets caught for some illegal shit.

[@jahrfuhlnehm]

@@taags Seems like the kind of guy who'd regularly buy tickets to the Epstein Express

[@Providence..]

@@jahrfuhlnehm Guarantee you he was in his little black book.

[@gamerinatrance3618]

@@Providence.. Bobby Kotick was unironically in Epstein's black book.

[@TomHolmes197]

Those who calls those who shun microtransactions the biggest idiots are themselves the biggest idiots. Especially if they are the CEOs of companies who implement microtransactions.

[@MazeMaker4Life]

This comment is pretty much just a "no u"

[@gamerinatrance3618]

I mean from a monetisation perspective he is not an idiot at all.

[@ceu160193]

@@gamerinatrance3618 And that's all that matters. He may be hated, but it doesn't ruin his sleep at night.

[@jonathancurry5392]

those last statements you made about the wii breaking the age/generational gap is so true man

[@mightylink65]

They keep saying these microtransaction live services are the future but I keep seeing them fail and get shut down while single player games live on to sell tens of millions of copies and become goty's.

[@thundageon5962]

Just like Elden Ring

[@nojuanatall3281]

In high-school I played games online all the time. It was the golden age. Now I just play single games and relax. No kids. No micro transaction. No BS. Just pure FUN gaming.

[@jasonworth6776]

In my eyes, he's a real life villain, just greed incarnate who destroys art and turns it into a money-milker, exploiting all those who cannot think better! He's rotten!

[@JamesDavy2009]

So he's Mammon incarnate?

[@TegridyMadeGames]

They literally believe the butterfly effect doesn't effect themselves lol

[@josefarias5216]

This is a giant bummer for all current and aspiring Unity devs, I learned it back in college myself, and now I'm seriously considering learning Unreal or something else with the way Unity is being handled if I ever get developing again

[@mysteryboii4869]

But isn't Unreal Engine is a way better engine to work with than Unity? I might be wrong

[@paulustrucenus]

@@mysteryboii4869 Unity is simpler and more adapted for small teams. If I'm not wrong it's also better for 2D. There is no better engine, or else Unity would have gone bankrupt long ago.

[@warhawk_yt]

@@mysteryboii4869 Unreal is more for bigger games like AAA rather than smaller games. The engine is more advanced and has a lot more features than most people will probably need because it needs to be able to do anything. Unity is more simpler and easier to get the basics with from my limited experience with using both as a hobby. I have used unreal a lot more than unity because of the blueprint system rather than using C#/C++

[@gamerinatrance3618]

@@warhawk_yt True, programming in C++ in Unreal is an absolute fucking nightmare.

[@houstong7103]

Try out godot? You can make both a 2d or 3d games with it.

[@wannabehistorian371]

Great shout-out to Iwata there. One of my professors used to work in the doctor’s office of Nintendo. According to him, Iwata was against monetization like Fire Emblem Heroes. He was a true artist.

[@deanbarrett3225]

A CEO calling people who don't want "all of the money" f-ing idiots. Why are people surprised by greed displayed by a modern CEO. They are all like that, all of them would agree with this ,and are taught by countless "Business Guru's, Books and admired business leaders that this is the way.

[@K_FI_L_Y_P_S_O]

Wow I never thought I'd take Andrew Wilson over someone else as EA's CEO. Yikes.

[@shadowgamerx2518]

This Guy makes Andrew Wilson looks like Walt Disney

[@Kwatcher100]

You mean *Android* Wilson.

[@K_FI_L_Y_P_S_O]

Never did I think at any point that Andrew Wilson would be an improvement over someone else. I am completely wrong in this thought process.

[@luciebaha9436]

@@K_FI_L_Y_P_S_O Andrew Wilson is not better for me.

[@MisterVercetti]

You know, being a fan of Zero Punctuation, something has struck me: there's been a _much_ larger drought for major releases than normal. I honestly think Elden Ring was the last one, that was _months_ ago, and there's absolutely _nothing_ for months to come. I can't help but wonder if the industry is truly starting to reach its breaking point what with the recent string of high-profile failures and the hard push into NFTs that is now blowing up in AAA companies' faces, and that the long-awaited industry crash is just over the horizon, especially what with the looming recession poised to take a serious bite out of revenue both in terms of game purchases and microtransactions. We can always hope, right?

[@jame8618]

might be on to something tbh, it seems like the only games thriving these days are indie games and free games like fortnite that established themselves years ago before all this mess

[@VicStrange9]

I think its more about the timing than everything else. Everyone wants that sweet, sweet Christmas or Christmas adjacent release date. But thats just a theory.

[@jame8618]

@@VicStrange9 Im not so sure tbh, the last roughly 3 years its like almost every triple AAA game in that hotly contested October-November release window have done poorly or been received poorly while the February-May window release games have done better. One things to note though is devs who release in the Feb-May window are typically indie/story games where as AAA goes towards Christmas. I do think triple AAA games are really on a decline especially when you sit down and think what was the last good AAA game that came out since 2018? Can really only think of maybe 3 when we used to get 2-3 good ones a year

[@arjanzweers6542]

Keep in mind that gaming in you have good years and bad years, some years you simply have more releases of better games than others. If this is starting to happen consistently then I would take it as a sign on a failing industry, but if it's only a single year, than not so much

[@williamfalls]

Aside from sports games that re-release the same games with only one thing tweaked about the game and a slightly updated roaster (which I obviously don't find good, but apparently the games sell enough that they keep coming out), I don't recall much for (objectively) good AAA games that have released within a year. Unless you count Elden Ring, but that was a long time project. I hope that AAA publishes notice what makes indie games thrive is a game given proper time to develop and is long thought out, but with how corporate heads think it's more likely they're just trying to put together a game to get addicted to in some way for profit and not for entertainment. Like I remember back when Modern Warfare (Warzone) was released and it felt new and exciting and polished and was repeatedly called the 'new Battlefield experience'... Then they made a DLC and priced it as a standalone game... 3 times. Battlefield also got hyped and people thought "Oh, hey, they've got a beta. Let's see how well this game will be!" And was deemed unplayable and hardly patched to fix it before the hype of that game died too. That's the only two recent games I could think of that are Triple A published and both have examples of how you should not to spoil a franchise. (Besides sports games, but I already dunked on sports games.)

[@physrune]

Love the perspective Yong, thanks for another great video.

[@DeEnDubleyoo]

For the AAA industry, "make money" is Priority 1. Anything after that (including making video-games and basic human decency) is entirely optional

[@Hauntaku]

They often forget that if you charge $80 up-front and offer pre-order bonuses then you will make more money overall IF their game is worth it.

[@noechairez3347]

This is why you the man Yong, keep doing what you're doing, youre the voice of true gamers!

[@simonrockstream]

praise the yong

[@gamerinatrance3618]

"True gamers" lol

[@noechairez3347]

@@gamerinatrance3618 im sorry, uh whats up your ass? Lol

[@necasperaterent29386]

Imagine being such a burnt out, superficial, broken husk of a human being that any emotion other than all-consuming greed is utterly alien to you.

[@luisg.m.garcia6972]

I mean he's a businesses man after all, his entire life has been built around the idea of the more money the better, so of course he says things like this, but that's why people like him should be nowhere near the leadership of artistic groups who want to create something genuine for players to enjoy

[@revolverocelot1380]

What's even dumber, is that hes calling the devs idiots when they barely make anything from these microtransactions and it just kills their reputation.

[@TheUltimateHacker007]

@@revolverocelot1380 They make a fuck ton from mtx. That's why he's calling the rest dumbasses

[@anotherhappylanding4746]

@@revolverocelot1380 ea makes billions from fifa so they do work

[@Hauntaku]

@@anotherhappylanding4746 FIFA is a scam

[@revolverocelot1380]

@@anotherhappylanding4746 Yeah for the greedy higher ups. You think the devs are getting paid anywhere near as much?

[@glati0s]

Well said, Yong. It’s really sad to see something as beautiful as gaming fall to money hungry CEO’s.

[@mkaleborn]

Bravo YongYea! I've been watching many of your videos for the past couple of months. And I think this is one of your best. A very razor-sharp, well composed and well delivered breakdown of the cynical greedy 'villainy' being displayed by the money-men and industry executives who have taken over the gaming landscape. I always appreciate a well-crafted argument that cuts right to the chase. Great job on this one! Edit: I would correct my statement that these executives have 'taken over' the gaming landscape. They've polluted it for sure. But as you said, there is a world full of passionate Indy developers out there carrying the torch for making games as accessible and fun and 'pure' as they should be. This fight isn't lost by a long shot. We just need to be vigilant as informed consumers and support projects, developers and studios worthy of our time and money.

[@Legoguy9875]

It baffles me that there are people that still think this way when some of the largest controversies of gaming in the last decade have revolved around horrendous monetization in video games. Loot boxes in Overwatch and Battlefront, mobile games paywalling essential items, AAA single player games charging for cheats and in-game currency. Even recently we've been dealing with scummy MTX with Diablo Immortal. On top of that, games like God of War, Horizon, Ratchet and Clank, Elden Ring, and even EA's own Star Wars Fallen Order have come out to tremendous success, taking a massive dump on the "live service/MTX = profit" mentality.

[@gyroninjamodder]

Doesn't that reinforce his point? Game designers should include monetization as a part of the game design process so that it works well from a game design perspective and isn't just something bolted on to a finished game.

[@KapalAsin]

I understand that video games are business and needs money to run it, but people sometimes forgot that video games are also a piece of art. A businessman needs their community to be successful, but that doesn't mean they cared about it. Like a cog in a machine. An artist needs and care about their community to be successful. They put their heart and soul into their crafts. An idealistic minds. It's a battle between Businessman vs Artist in video games landscape.

[@HeroAndReporter]

At this point I feel like the gaming industry is losing control and is heading for another crash like it did in the 80’s.

[@A-1-Sawce]

Yup, single player games are absolutely 100% dead. I'm guessing they also think nobody is interested in GoW Ragnarok or anything, or that Elden Ring was an abomination with no microtransactions. Yes sir.

[@Moicetto]

Not gonna buy GoW for lack of multiplayer. Yes sir

[@Reseng]

I absolutely regret overcoming my mistakes and learning patience in my 100+ hours solo in Elden Ring. Yes sir.

[@AZKJunaid]

The Outer Worlds and Outer Wilds are trash. Yes sir

[@MarsGundam]

Well, from a money point of view he's right. Other than that I think EAs best minds and designers should quit in mass and go to other companies or start their own.

[@DiscoFinalBoss]

It works in the short term but if enough consumers wise up, it will certainly be a huge L for these companies who practice this shit in the long run.

[@EJ_Red]

Problem is they always implement MTX for features that don't bother to be monetized most of the time, at least not as heavily

[@MarsGundam]

@@DiscoFinalBoss Well, they're doing that. I haven't bought a EA game since Star Wars Battlefront 2. They fucked up the first and bungled the second.

[@DiscoFinalBoss]

@@MarsGundam I think Battlefield One was the last thing I bought from that company.

[@Chris_Sizemore]

That is what happens every time EA and Activision buys a company. Within 3 years all of the real talents get fed up and quit. The only people that are left are the ones that need the job or got a massive promotion in return for them staying. The real talent move on because they get fed up with what their division becomes and what corporate demands of them.

[@charlieloffler4713]

I know this community of gamers watching yongyea have this mindset. But, sadly, much more people have the opposite belief: many people who grew up with the mobile game landscape think that if you aren’t capitalizing on the free to play model, you’re doing it wrong. It’s extremely sad but this is why people like that idiot CEO can get away with saying disrespectful things like that. Most people think that to piece-meal the gaming experience through micro-transactions is a good thing and it shows with how many downloads these types of games have in the app stores.

[@thepolarphantasm2319]

"They're a 10 but they won't force MTX onto their playerbase"

[@p.r.1308]

When it comes to making money, he is right. But there are two problems: 1. The monkey part seems to be 80% focus on the games that are made today. It is not just enough money so they can pay their employees and grow, it has to be all the money. Blizzard achived that this year with immortal. 2. The devs dont care because all that giant extea cash the company makes is going to these CEOs. Not to the devs, not into the business and its improvment, only in the pockets of these CEOs. Maybe they get a Pizza party or something like that.

[@captaintoyota3171]

Yup corporations in modern times DEMAND more profit yearly. Seriously they could PROFIT above overhead tens of millions but if they dont make more next year its a disaster. Forget the fact its successful they ALWAYS want more. Greed is a common human trait one of most common and we have DONE NOTHING to hold that back in society

[@ApollyonZKX]

Ughh the dreaded pizza party. The corporates way of trying to reward their employees. Their way of throwing a bone at us.

[@rhaeven]

@@captaintoyota3171 This happens with publically traded companies. Shareholders need the value of the shares to keep going up in order to give them value. Each year needs to be better than the last or of course the share price will drop a bit. Capitalism fails hard here, the capital is raised by people who need a constant return on their investment

[@bobbodaskank]

At some horrible moment in every game company's lifespan, they start hiring professional executives. Professional executives can be great at first. The lead developer who was in charge of everything can get back to making games instead of trying to be a businessman. The designer who does the game art can stop trying to come up with marketing material. All that good stuff. But executives wield terrible power. And once they've been "in the industry" for a couple years, suddenly they think they know games. They put pressure on the devs to make changes, and it's hard to argue with 'em, not only because they have an airtight presentation proving how the company will make more money and reach a wider audience if the devs fall in line, but also because they can fire people. At that point, the game studio is past its prime, and all it can do now is slowly show its age and eventually die. The kicker is the executives who "oversaw" the "glory days" will have guaranteed futures in other companies in need of professional executives. Meanwhile, the people who wanted to make good games but got paved over by executive mandates will probably have to choose between finding another studio just as aged as the one they're leaving, or else start over with a young company and cross their fingers that they can eke out a similar living to what they'd been making before in these untested waters. After all, the executives were very good at making money. The devs just have to hope that being very good at making games will still be enough in a landscape absolutely flooded with executive game design.

[@typehere6689]

It is a good thing developers' names are attached to games.

[@prieatknight]

Riccitiello; "I know where the gaming future is heading!" From Software, "Fucking Idiot."

[@doughlausprashaal7151]

Elden ring literally a game with 0 mictotransaction sold like 13 mil in a few months

[@Hauntaku]

@@doughlausprashaal7151 They harnessed the power of memes and cute waifus

[@MrAnimeLifeAMVs]

Dev that are making games without monetization scheme is more than just making “money”. These dev put love and care into their product, and that something that EA don’t understand dev don’t make game just for money they do because they love their jobs. These are the dev that should be rewarded with their quality product over those “Fucking idiot” that try to squeeze every cent out of us.

[@thelordofanime6150]

Well said, but sadly they still get away with it look at diablo immortal for example despite all the backlash they still got 50+ million in micro transactions.

[@moh.syafrianabie8899]

But you guys still play AAA game more than indie game. You guys deserved to be scammed this hard if you don't stop playing predatory AAA games.

[@drdean6186]

Whats this quality comment doing all the way down here?

[@gamerinatrance3618]

@@thelordofanime6150 Because Gamers™ make up a tiny minority.

[@gamerinatrance3618]

@@moh.syafrianabie8899 You have no idea who "we" are though lol

[@ChristianWray]

I totally agree with you! Thanks for breaking it all down at this level for the world to see! More people need to see this!

[@flamingburitto]

There are only two certainties in life. 1: The sun always rising in the east. 2: EA execs making L takes.

[@realtayo42]

A decade from now when indies' market share has grown substanstially, the AAA industry is going to be utterly shocked that you can treat both your employees and customers right while making an amazing product.

[@michaelc1632]

This CEO has to hate himself this much to become a Saturday cartoon villain.

[@krazycharlie]

Brilliant! That's the way to treat your employees: dissing them and insulting them. Enjoy your microtransactions while they last, Mr. Know-it-all! When the time comes to look for your next job, I hope you find all the doors you knock closed.

[@sharifismailmohsin2948]

That statement is a complete mask-off moment for them. Really shows what they believe in concerning video game business and what they truly value.

[@Epifante0]

As you were running down these greedy CEOs, I started reminiscencing about how great a CEO Iwata was, and then you transitioned to highlight him! Optimising Gold and Silvers code, encouraging new ideas, taking a paycut when the company didnt perform, I wish more CEOs were like him.

[@remcoheijnen8427]

Someone like Satoru Iwata we will never ever get again in the Game Industry, he is a Legend and Always Will Be and most Games Are Inspired by that Man !!! 😢

[@typehere6689]

If one such new one is to ever be, this new one may come from a small place.

[@JohnKazuma]

Any games that have Microtransactions should be put and treated as Gambling. Change My Mind.

[@MoshyTheLuxray]

Arcade games may have a short loop of 10-15 minutes, but cramming as much fun as possible in a short time space makes the experience worthwhile to come back to every time.

[@Hauntaku]

Exactly! I could easily rush through games like "Oceanhorn" but I really enjoyed it. I beat it like 3 times.

[@LeperFriend1837]

The Handsome Jack energy on this guy. Minus the charm.

[@hugeman537]

I think it's closer to negative charm

[@Headless...]

Handsome Jack is 10× better than this guy

[@kuragariinuken255]

EA: "Microtransactions or GTFO..." Also EA: Releases half-finished games that bomb so bad gamers go play the older games in that series. Also EA: "What happened?... But our roadmap! No really!"

[@KPX01]

roadmap is also part of the scam, most of them are just hype up half truth at best

[@paha4209]

He´s probably also in the "Every game should be a live-service" camp. I find these people hilarious because they either don´t realize or don´t want to realize that the people only have a finite amount of time and money to spend. If every game is full of microtransactions than overall the money spend on 1 game goes up but people aren´t going to play the same amount of games. It´s not a modell that can sustain itself in the long run but maybe that´s exactly what the big companies want since it´s most likely that the smaller ones die first in this rat race.

[@omegawolf2589]

Guess we can blame him for the way of thinking EA had. Guess we can guess why he became a former CEO.

[@luciebaha9436]

I think that all the executives and ex-executives of Ea are greedy with Activision.

[@moargunz_2198]

its not like their philosophy has changed at all. seems the same to me.

[@SageofStars]

I will say, a lot of the indie companies don't do it for one reason really. It would ruin the game, and then it wouldn't sell. If they could DO microtransactions in a way that didn't somehow compromise the game design, they'd do it, and I think we might still celebrate them if they did. Problem is, that's a razor thin edge to play through, and it's really easy to tilt one way or the other. Remembering my own experience, Ace Combat Infinity went from a fun free to play flight sim to, if you're not paying, you won't be playing, when they introduced what amounted to paying for extra missiles/specials on missions. Severely unbalanced everything, and killed it after it had been doing okay. Never fantastic, but Ace Combat has never been more than a pretty good seller.

[@markedfang]

This is why you sell hats for a buck 50.

[@llewliet4021]

Facebook games had tons of p2w mtx and were often made by indies. Browser games had tons of p2w mtx and were often made by indies. Broken ranks has tons of p2w mtx and is developed by a polish indie studio. I could go on and on.

[@neoqwerty]

I think Playstation Home did it well. It used a similar thing as Second Life: Free zones, "Preview" zones, and bought zones. In the free zones, they used a free currency and offered cosmetics and furniture you won from minigames and little quests and easter egg secret finding. In the preview zones, you had SOME games and items that were free, and you could walk around and see what you would get from paying, but you COULD get enough of their zone aesthetic from just the free stuff to satisfy the casual people. In the paid zones, you had a "read-only" free walk, where you could see others playing the game and see demos of it, but to actually play the minigames instead of a demo "guest" trial that would reset as soon as you left that zone. I actually bought the dolphin-raising zone because the game and graphics on that zone were cool AF, though unfortunately it shut down a few months after I got in, alas. But I have good memories of how chill it was. Non-competitive is really where microtransactions should go, and it shouldn't impede the baseline game design.

[@QuietRage]

The villain always starts monologuing when they believe they've won

[@VideoJamesNZ]

THANK YOU, YongYea! You are one of the last voices that us gamers have left. I'm so sick of these scummy, anti-consumer CEOs destroying my favourite hobby.

[@killingragethrowback]

What he calls idiocy, others call integrity.