10 Insulting Microtransactions Video Games Had To REMOVE

Developer GameLoft's My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is hardly the first or only mobile game to feature over-priced microtransactions.

In fact, such practices are the norm for mobile games, most of which are free to download. But what makes Friendship Is Magic stand out is the nature of the game itself targeting mostly children.

The goal is to return the missing six protagonists to their world. The catch is that advancing through the game only unlocks the option to purchase them individually with gems, which are scarce, doled out one at time every few levels.

For context, the final pony cost a staggering 500 gems or around $30. And that's just one. Just to complete the game required literal years of grinding or around $100.

Everyone was legitimately turned off. Not only is this an obvious attempt to exploit the game's many teen and even adult fans, but children as well, many young enough that they don't understand the value of money.

Eventually, Gameloft dropped the price of that particular pony to only 50 gems, or $8, but that was all. And it came with a begrudging announcement attributing the outcry to "a select few older fans." An audacious statement, to say the least.