14 DAY TRIAL // Micro transactions are all the rage when it comes to PC-based MMORPGs. Free Realms is gaining more and more users and getting regular content updates from Sony even as BioWare seems to be hinting that its upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic is set to feature micro transactions as a possible paying option. And now, Microsoft appears to be eager to introduce them on the Xbox 360 home gaming console.
Phil Spencer, who is the head of the Microsoft Worldwide Studios, told Gamasutra about their potential. He stated that “I'm curious to see how those kinds of new experiences evolve,” adding that Joyride, a game set to arrive during the winter, should offer a test case for the micro transaction model.
Of course, the software giant already has some experience with them when it comes to the Xbox Live Marketplace, especially with the introduction of merchandise for Avatars. Spencer also stated that “With the amount of Marketplace content I see in my friends list via their avatars, it seems like a lot of people are choosing to customize their avatar in interesting ways.”
But the Xbox 360 might not be the right space to actually bet on micro transactions. The PC is much more suited to the model and Games for Windows Live from Microsoft, which is already integrated with a lot of the titles that are shipped with the platform, could become a platform allowing users to pay small amounts of money for extra content for the games they play.
The Redmond-based company is slowly becoming interested in offering content to gamers that might not be prepared to pay the 60 dollars that most AAA titles retail for at the moment.
With the advent of the motion tracking Project Natal hardware and with the recent price cut, the Xbox 360 is courting more casual players; adding an easy-to-use model of getting content through micro transactions might allow Microsoft to gain the upper hand over the PlayStation 3 and the Wii.