Mike Ybarra, Blizzard Entertainment’s former president who left the company in January as part of mass layoffs under Microsoft, has told his followers on X (formerly Twitter) that video games should come with a feature that allows players to tip its developers, admitting that while some of today’s titles already cost $70, a few of the games that he’s tried lately has left him “in awe.” Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, and Baldur’s Gate 3 are a few of the games that Ybarra suggested should introduce a tipping feature.
Ybarra said:
- “When I beat a game, there are some that just leave me in awe of how amazing the experience was.”
- “At the end of the game, I’ve often thought ‘I wish I could give these folks another $10 or $20 because it was worth more than my initial $70 and they didn’t try to nickel and dime me every second.'”
- “Games like HZD, GoW, RDR2, BG3, Elden Ring, etc. I know $70 is already a lot, but it’s an option at the end of the game I wish I had at times. Some games are that special.”
- “I know most will dislike this idea…I realize we are tired of ‘tipping’ in everything else – but I view this different from a pressure to tip type scenario many face and give feedback on.”
The original tweet:
I've thought about this idea for a while, as a player, since I've been diving into single player games lately.
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) April 11, 2024
When I beat a game, there are some that just leave me in awe of how amazing the experience was. At the end of the game, I've often thought "I wish I could give these…
Critics are saying:
- “I often play a game and am disappointed. Can I get my money back?”
- “Mike…… bro. We call that D…. L…. C…”
- “Have you done something like this after going to the cinema? Or at the theatre? … This is so wrong in so many ways…”
- “Or… wait… you could share more of the profit with the devs instead of asking more from the consumer.”
- “What if once you beat the game, it gives you the option to gift the game on the given platform for a discounted price.”
- “Larian is the only game studio that deserves to be tipped imo”
Ybarra on what new content Blizzard fans can expect in 2024, per his final end-of-year review:
Diablo IV will have new seasons, and its first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, will also be released in 2024: this will continue the story of Mephisto and Neyrelle, and bring with it a brand-new class never before seen in the Diablo universe. Overwatch 2 will have three new heroes next year (Venture, a hero codenamed Space Ranger, and a yet-to-be-revealed tank), the new Clash mode, a rework of Competitive mode, and much more.
Discussion (5 replies)
Join Discussion →Terrible idea. As we try to get away from the tipping system, which has roots in slavery, the last thing we need is for developer companies to have their wages subsidized by consumers. It won't start that way but will end up that way due to greed.
Walmart is a perfect example of a company that pays its workers at the minimum wage or gives them only enough hours to ensure they're eligible for food stamps and Medicaid. Hopefully, developers will never make minimum wage, but their salaries will soon become subsidized.
It would be typical for someone like Mike Ybarra, who probably knows little about financial struggle, to suggest something so tone-deaf.
I'm glad that guy got fired.
The heck?
Tip giant game studios, what an idea!
These bastards want to suck on the goodwill of people that financed micro or even 1 person projects.
Sounds like he's uncovered a new niche - OnlyFans for Developers.
As soon as I can put a negative number in that tip box I'm all in.