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.