Microsoft Acquiring EA: 8 Major Things That Could Happen

3. Microtransactions & DLC Will HAVE To Change

Going with the "EA are being bought to facilitate a more enticing Game Pass" idea, this also has a knock-on effect for microtransactions and DLC.

Namely: Does paying "less" overall for the newest games still satisfy both Microsoft and EA's investors, and pay the bills?

What will the expectation become for in-game purchases and DLC? Could it be the norm, that games are intentionally developed in stages, episodically or otherwise "unfinished" (like Hitman), knowing that the consumer will stick around for a few months to get the full product?

At this stage, who knows, but one thing's for certain: Something as big as EA and Microsoft hammering a monthly subscription model for all their games and everything within will either fail miserably, or become the norm.