8 Video Games You Didn't Realise Broke The Industry

2. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - First Major Console Release To Have Microtransactions

Microtransactions are okay in small doses, but we've seen publishers utilise them in increasingly sinister ways over the last decade. Pay-to-win models pervaded the last console generation, while games like FIFA and Fortnite have drawn intense criticism for including what some consumers have called 'predatory' monetisation models geared primarily towards children.

As most will know, it was mobile, free-to-play games that really pioneered microtransactions in the industry. Freemium games are the biggest offenders, being free-to-play but with a huge asterisk, thanks to almost every aspect of those titles including microtransactions in some form or another.

Certain titles popularised those elements on PC and consoles over the last few years, but potentially the first to actually implement microtransactions in a significant way was Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Earlier PC games had allowed players to exchange real cash for fake currency ala GTA Online, but Oblivion was where it all kicked off.

Following Microsoft's attempts at including microtransactions in franchises like Perfect Dark Zero and Project Gotham Racing, Bethesda followed suit and put them in Elder Scrolls, allowing players to add armour to their horse for the low-low price of $2.50. This kind of offer has since become the norm for most games, with cosmetics and sometimes weapons with unique advantages being made available for purchase.