10 Insulting Microtransactions Video Games Had To REMOVE

Payday 2, a cooperative shooter series with a niche, but devoted, fanbase actually released without microtransactions. So it's a little confusing that developer Overkill chose to add them later in the form of in-games safes that required drills (purchased with real money) to open and reveal a randomized weapon skin as a reward.

So... they were basically loot boxes. A wildly unpopular mechanic couched under a thin veneer of gameplay.

What's worse is that, unlike most shooters, these weapon skins weren't just cosmetic, but also boosted the stats of weapons. Meaning that game became not only pay-to-win, but also a gamble as you didn't even know what it was you were buying. Overkill lost the loyalty of their fans practically overnight.

In a rare display of humility, Overkill actually took the L on this, removing microtransactions, making the weapon skins free, and going on to add more free content in months that followed. Even better, this came with a mea culpa acknowledging that they broke their fans' trust and would work to regain it.

Fortunately, they did. Now if only the rest of the industry could be so decent.