[STEAM] Microtransactions are good, actually, Ubisoft claims

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Microtransactions are often argued to be one of the worst aspects of modern gaming. They are the primary drive behind "games as a service," and a way for publishers to rake in billions without actually adding to games. And it's fundamentally a good thing, or so Ubisoft would say.

Assassin's Creed: Shadows has just received its first batch of Isu-related content in the form of a new quest,

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, that ties into the game's main story. And, what's most important, the content is free, added to Shadows with no extra charge as an expansion to the overall narrative. This, apparently, would not have been possible without microtransactions, which Ubisoft argues help enable these content expansions.

"Microtransactions, for all the flak it gets, it allows us to do the Isu stuff, the quest stuff, the parkour updates, all of it," said Simon Lemay-Comtois, AC: Shadows' associate game director (

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). Post-launch earnings, which are obtained via microtransactions (usually cosmetics that most Assassin's Creed games of the last 10 years have had), seem to be fundamental to the creation of these free updates and expansions, as well as keeping the games alive for longer than usual.

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AC: Shadows, much like other recent Ubisoft games, has skins and other microtransactions. Screenshot by Destructoid So it would seem microtransactions can be good after all, despite many players, myself included, holding a grudge against them in almost every way, shape, or form.

I'd even argue microtransactions in the form of paid DLC or expansions, like Phantom Liberty in the case of Cyberpunk 2077, are a much better way of utilizing additional paid content and accumulating extra funds for expanding the game's content and size. Though, in that case, we would just call them transactions, since they are by no means micro.

It's a divisive topic, and one that's been at the center of discussion regarding all of Ubisoft's outputs over the past however many years. Do cosmetics and skins have a place in single-player games, especially paid ones? Should someone who forked over $70 be asked to give more money lest they be barred from that cool-looking armor and weapons? Lots of questions, few answers, but it seems that, no matter what, they do play a significant role in ensuring these games get post-launch support.

Alas, such are the ways of quarterly-oriented developers.

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