10 Promising Video Games Totally Ruined By Microtransactions

Assassin’s Creed was a revolutionary seventh-gen title when it released over a decade ago, but the series really started to wear on the nerves of consumers once it entered an oversaturated annual production cycle.

The abysmal, downright dysfunctional Assassin’s Creed Unity seemed to serve as a bit of a wakeup call for Ubisoft, and the publisher shelved a prospective 2016 Assassin’s Creed title to ensure a more polished experience. That said, when Assassin’s Creed: Origins dropped in 2017, it felt like more of the same, albeit with an increased focus on sidequest grinding and microtransactions.

2018’s Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, though a well-reviewed game, took this to the nth degree by filling the mid-game with required level grinding. This was clearly built into the game with the intention of enticing frustrated players into spending some more money, and the fact that players can get their hands on an XP boost at a premium cements that idea.

Ubisoft has yet to sink to the levels of corporations like Electronic Arts and Activision in terms of reputation, but, if this keeps up, they’ll be finding themselves in some hot water.