640°

Mortal Kombat 11 is charging $6 for Frost, a free character

Mortal Kombat 11 is a worthy fighting game but Warner Bros. and NetherRealm seem to be keen on destroying the game's reputation with microtransactions. For example, they are selling Frost for $6, while you can unlock her in story mode.

jordan22290ps1864d ago

I mean, I don't agree with the grindy stuff at all. But this is whatever to me. She unlocks at chapter 3 in the story. Which is when you first see her. So it's not like they made her grindy to unlock for free.

PapaBop1864d ago

No, it's just a blatant attempt to ripoff their own buyers really. There is absolutely no reason for it being in the store.

harmny1864d ago

Where's the rippoff? No one is forcing you to buy it. In fact you can unlock it for free

optimus1864d ago

how are they ripping off customers exactly when they tell you she is available for free if you CHOOSE? fact of the matter is that there are actually lazy folks out there that PREFER to buy these things than play for them. get mad at them and not the people giving you the OPTION to do so.

ziggurcat1864d ago

"how are they ripping off customers exactly when they tell you she is available for free if you CHOOSE?"

maybe because $6 seems like a very steep price for something you can unlock naturally?

fr0sty1864d ago

It's a blatant attempt to rip off the idiots who don't bother to actually play the game and unlock her for free.

fr0sty1864d ago

I don't care if she's $600... they give her away free, so only the fools dumb enough to pay the price will pay the price.

Tres211864d ago

Honestly that's the way I think all characters should be handled...back in the day all extra characters yo had 2 work 4 and if it seems a steep price 4 a free char. More reason 4 ppl to actually work 2 get her. But 4 the ppl who want her now and dont wanna work 4 it let em pay as long as the option 2 get her free is still avail it shouldnt matter

Hungryalpaca1864d ago

To those who don’t think it’s a ripoff

They’re relying on people not knowing you unlock her in the story. Some people never touch the story in these games. That’s who they’re targeting. Sure WE know you can unlock her but most people won’t until they do unlock her.

boing11864d ago (Edited 1864d ago )

First of all, no one is forcing anyone to buy it. Second of all, don't be ignorant. Imagine there are people who have a family with a kid and a job and they just want to play few matches with their favorite character online, after everyone goes to sleep. That's all they care about. Is that person really dumb?

Christopher1864d ago

***It's a blatant attempt to rip off the idiots who don't bother to actually play the game and unlock her for free.***

So you're saying there's a percentage of people who are interested in this and don't want to play the story?

No Way1864d ago

@Christopher - I'd say there are thousands, if not millions, who buy the game that will never touch the story mode. Some people buy it just to fight their friend - or strangers online, I suppose.

Yes, many won't see it.

UltraNova1864d ago (Edited 1864d ago )

No way,

Tell me, in the Store's character's description, does the game inform potential buyers (especially those who haven't played the story mode yet) that say this Frost character can be unlocked for free in chapter 3(or while playing the story)?

If yes, then that's fair warning and full disclosure and I can see no harm here. If not, then this is straight exploitation.

badz1491864d ago

@optimus

"how are they ripping off customers exactly when they tell you she is available for free if you CHOOSE?"

that's the foundation of MT right there! what business does that MT has in a $60 game?? are you seriously defending this?

Gt Sport is doing this crap too which pisses me off! I'm not paying a dime as I unlock those cars through playing BUT the fact that they are there to be monetized piss me off because Gt Sport is a $60 game! MT is disgusting no matter the game unless they are F2P, PERIOD!

Kaze881864d ago

@optimus "when they tell you she is available for free if you CHOOSE"

Did you read second paragraph? "The catch here is that the character can be unlocked for free by just playing the story mode and neither developer nor publisher put a disclaimer about it anywhere, potentially leading players to believe she is paid DLC." I know reading is hard, but just even try.

DJStotty1864d ago

Probably for the online player that does not play story mode maybe?

They may want to play as Frost, but dont want to play the story to get her.

DJStotty1864d ago

@Hungry.

It says in game you unlock her in the story. And her character icon is on the character select screen?

Saying players do not know she is unlockable is false. Everyone knows she is in the game. Some people may want to play as her, but not want to play the story, so having her as a purchase is an option.

+ Show (12) more repliesLast reply 1864d ago
Angyobangyo1864d ago

Stop excusing terrible industry practices. Things like this happen because people like you keep defending MT like it doesn’t affect the final product. If you let publishers know its ok then they’ll keep finding ways to push even more ludicrous MT.

Now look at MK11! It has a stupid mobile game currency system, artifically made towers of time stupidly difficult so theyll temp players buying MT and a messed up gear system on again what you might see in a mobile title.

What’s frustrating is that there is a good fighting game under all the BS thrown in to milk the game as much as possible.

1864d ago
cee7731864d ago

What about the Shao Kahn DLC clearly he’s on the disc if he’s in the story smh how the hell is it a preorder bonus I’m really disappointed in Netherrealm.

Visceral891864d ago

You must be new to preorders

cee7731863d ago

No I’m not new to pre orders it’s just an all time low when you make it Shao Kahn a pre order only dlc when he’s literally in the game movesets and all you fight him during the story smh its bs

DJStotty1864d ago (Edited 1864d ago )

Probably for the online player that does not play story mode maybe?

They may want to play as Frost, but dont want to play the story to get her.

Edit : Sorry this should have been a response to PapaBop, clicked the wrong reply button.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1863d ago
Zenbaby3691864d ago

My first question is how do you view the screen that shows her in the rewards? Secondly, why are you buying stuff without checking said page? I think it's borderline messed up, but shame on anyone who paid for it without looking around or even playing 33% of the story first xD

Petebloodyonion1864d ago

I don't have a problem with it because it clearly says buy or Unlock it by completing chapter 4 of the story mode.
If it was just an unlock, nobody would care, but because you can buy it, suddenly it's the worst thing in the world.

djplonker1864d ago (Edited 1864d ago )

Gotta squeeze every extra bit of cash out of the consumer it's not like Warner bros is a big company or that mortal kombat is a well established video game franchise that could easily make its money back.

Pay for earlier unlocks

Locking a series veteran behind preorders

Microtransactions which gameplay rewards are based around so its nice and slow and has so much filler to try and get you to think it's worth spending money to speed it up and get the stuff you want.

Also it has a season season pass..... What next you have to pay to eject the disc without it taking an hour?

metabolicfrolic1864d ago

Exactly! People want to have a problem with this game because the Krypt grind is unbalanced at the moment.
They probably don't even know that you can't buy koins, souls or hearts.

Kados1864d ago

Console gamers seem to have an obsession with twisting everything that is out of the ordinary into something negative, even when logically it should be seen as a positive. This kind of in-game/MT optional unlocking has been available in PC MMOs for decades and has always been viewed favorably. Yeah the price is a little steep for something that is unlockable in-game, but it is still optional. You are not prevented from obtaining the character if you choose not to pay for it.

Xb1ps41864d ago (Edited 1864d ago )

I’m a console only gamer my self and sometimes it’s embarrasing to see my fellow gamers act like this.. it’s like c’mon they cry about the most ridiculous things...

NO gamer in the know is going to pay for that and those not in the know that pay for it so be it... it’s only more money for mk12.

Dark_Knightmare21864d ago

Yeah and didn’t injustice 2 do this for a character and I don’t remember any outrage for that

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1864d ago
robtion1864d ago

I won't buy the game due to the dodgy mictotransactions and paywalls but from what I have seen RNG has been used to turn the entire Krypt into a giant lootbox. This is now a full priced game plus season pass and that still won't give you everything as it costs $6000+ to unlock all the costumes or in the vicinity of 4000 hrs of grinding.

HighlyDoubtful1864d ago

You....do....realize you don't NEED to unlock EVERY single costume right? You....do....realize that right? Cuz saying that makes you sound so silly. Super silly even...

robtion1864d ago

@HighlyDoubtful
If I pay for a game I expect to be able to play the full game including all unlockables withought paying $6K or grinding for literally thousands of hours. If that is silly then I must be silly. Super silly even.

Nerdmaster1864d ago

@HighlyDoubtful
Even if you just want the costumes for your favorite characters, since it's RNG, it may take a looooong time for you to get them. There's no excuse for this terrible decision.

DJStotty1864d ago (Edited 1864d ago )

I must be doing well, i've played for 2 hours and got 7 costumes and 4 alternate fatalities.

If you dont want to grind, pay. Who wants to pay full price for a game you finish in 4 hours?

Certainly not me. The krypt adds lastability to the game, and i have zero complaints about a bit of grind.

But gotta keep these snowflakes safe that moan about anything i suppose.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1864d ago
annoyedgamer1864d ago

Is there anything good about this game aside from excessive violence?

harmny1864d ago

You can play Minecraft if you want

spicelicka1864d ago

Uh so you've never play Mortal Kombat

Casepb1864d ago

I guess for some, but the majority just buy it because of the gore.

MadLad1864d ago

People buy it because it's consistently been a good fighting game.
The gore is just a signature of the series; as is sexuality to the Dead or Alive series.

If this was a crap series with excessive gore, that wouldn't have pushed it to a 20+ year series thus far.

generic-user-name1864d ago

Since MK9, the series has lead the way for how stories can be done in a fighting game, no other fighter comes close in this area.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1864d ago
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60°

Every PlayStation Studios game available now on Windows PC

Windows Central writes: "Many PlayStation Studios games that are ported to PC get dedicated PS5 DualSense support, which allows users to experience haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support without actually having to own a PS5.

According to Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, it's still the company's intent to launch the bigger single-player games on PS5 first, before later bringing the games to PC. This might not be the case for multiplayer games however, which are considered okay to launch simultaneously on console and PC."

Read Full Story >>
windowscentral.com
ocelot076h ago

My guess is after god of war. Probably last of us 2 that's a almost 4 year old game now and by the time it's released on pc it will be more than 4 years old or close to 5.

Elda19m ago

Every old Playstation game that is now on PC.

200°

Former Activision studio Toys for Bob partners with Xbox to publish its first game as an indie

Former Activision studio Toys for Bob partners with Xbox to publish its first game as an indie. This is something of a homecoming, as Microsoft owns Activision.

Read Full Story >>
engadget.com
Obscure_Observer16h ago

Very very early in development. Still, fantastic news!

Let´s GO!!!

Lightning7714h ago

I guess.

How come they didnt either let them go or sell Tango and others to another publisher? Not saying Ubisoft, EA would be any better. (Capcome would of treated them right )

At least it wouldn't be MS of all ppl destroying them.

MS really should let go Tango go like they did TFB here.

darthv7214h ago(Edited 14h ago)

one was under Bethesda (Tango) the other under Activision (TFB). Clearly each one handled the separations of their subordinates differently.

Obscure_Observer13h ago(Edited 13h ago)

"How come they didnt either let them go or sell Tango and others to another publisher? Not saying Ubisoft, EA would be any better. (Capcome would of treated them right )"

Perhaps because Zenimax and ABK handles such matters differently based on their own internal policies as "independent" publishers.

Whoever, chances are it´s simply because MS didn´t wanted Tango or Austin to be acquired by competitors and develop new bangers for them, giving MS a bad rep in a possible future. Which could also be the reason why they ensured an exclusive partnership with TFB and its new game, before anyone else.

Sad and disgusting. But it is what it is.

Lightning7710h ago(Edited 10h ago)

"Whoever, chances are it´s simply because MS didn´t wanted Tango or Austin to be acquired by competitors and develop new bangers for them, giving MS a bad rep in a possible future."

MS has a bad rep now because those studios are no more. I rather them sell the studio continue to make multiplatform releases, while MS continues to focus on whatever they're doing. If they didn't want Tango around they should separated from them or sell them to, like they did TFB.

It's inexcusable, they have options on how to handle studios they don't want anymore with killing jobs. Not just MS but the rest of the industry also.

Sad and disgusting sure how many will get shut down next year or this year even?

I don't trust MS decisions and motivations at this point. You have to admit they make one dumb move after another.

Obscure_Observer3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

"MS has a bad rep now because those studios are no more. I rather them sell the studio continue to make multiplatform releases, while MS continues to focus on whatever they're doing. If they didn't want Tango around they should separated from them or sell them to, like they did TFB."

Imo, MS separated from TFB because they didn´t had a game associated with Xbox yet, unlike Tango.

"I don't trust MS decisions and motivations at this point. You have to admit they make one dumb move after another."

Fair enough. It was indeed an epic dumb move from them to close Tango.

Still, all to be forgotten, like always have. This is not the first time a big publisher shuts down a beloved and/or successful studio out of nowhere and certainly won´t be the last. Do you remember Lionhead? Do you remember Evolution Studios? Yeah... both were beloved studios and yet, those companies kill those studios in q blink of an eye and got away with it.

anast21m ago(Edited 20m ago)

The studio boss made some money from this transaction. Once the game releases, the studio will get chopped up.

-Foxtrot16h ago

Manages to buy their freedom especially after all the shit Microsoft has been doing with its studios lately

...

Goes right back to them as partners.

Okaaaaaay...

darthv7214h ago

Id venture a guess that TFB working directly with MS was a better outcome than working through Activision to get to MS.

VersusDMC12h ago

From the article...

"Toys for Bob spun out as an indie back in February after Microsoft instituted sweeping layoffs that impacted 86 employees, which was more than half of the staff"

I doubt those 86 employees enjoyed the Microsoft experience over Activisions.

Inverno12h ago

MS shuts down studios because of lack of resources and then helps these guys by giving em resources. Also MS is what forced them to buy their freedom in the first place? What kind of logic 😂

Chevalier9h ago

The best thing is that the company that is worth $3 trillion and owns the company instead of Xbox lacks resources. How the hell does a company worth $3 trillion making a measly $70 billion purchase they 'can't' support. Lol

Sciurus_vulgaris14h ago(Edited 14h ago)

Xbox’s gaming division seems to still function as 3 semi-autonomous sub-divisions, Xbox Studios, Bethesda and ABK. The three main sub-divisions can seemingly shut down or build studios and set up partnerships independently. This would explain why Bethesda can recently shutdown studios, while ABK spins off one studio, while building a new one. Plus, Toys for Bob could be spun off by ABK, only to immediately re-partner with Microsoft.

Chevalier9h ago

That's absolutely 💯 BS. Any sane 'autonomous' company would NOT put their games on Gamepass day 1 like COD will lose probably billions.

Also they're all under Xbox game studios so any autonomy is an illusion.

Elda9h ago

Either a kiddie game or something uninteresting.

Obscure_Observer2h ago

Don´t worry. You won´t be playing it anyway since their next game will possible be a next gen Xbox console game.

Elda1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

Don't worry about my comments.

Show all comments (19)
190°

Sony shares big new PS Plus stat, but not the one we want to see

PlayStation Plus has improved the split of PS4 and PS5 players on its priciest tiers, but Sony continues to hide total subscriber numbers.

Read Full Story >>
theloadout.com
mandf20h ago

lol acting like it’s equivalent to ms numbers

Mr Logic19h ago

Uh...They're definitely not equivalent.

"Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service now has 34 million subscribers."

"the total number of PS Plus subscribers across all tiers was 47.4 million"

darthv7219h ago(Edited 19h ago)

That PSN number seems like it should be much higher... especially when you consider that PS4 alone has a sell through of over 117m. To not even be at least half that is rather interesting.

To the XB side, having 34m to an install base of roughly 50m (XBO sell through) or even 85m (360 sell through) is a greater percentage of unit to member ratio than PSN.

bloop15h ago

That's not the "gotcha" you think it is Darth.

darthv7215h ago

^^it's not supposed to be bloop.... it's just an interesting observation.

Einhander197213h ago

darthv72

"That PSN number seems like it should be much higher... especially when you consider that PS4 alone has a sell through of over 117m. To not even be at least half that is rather interesting.

To the XB side, having 34m to an install base of roughly 50m (XBO sell through) or even 85m (360 sell through) is a greater percentage of unit to member ratio than PSN."

Have you ever heard of a PC before? I hear they are pretty popular.

fr0sty7h ago

MS started lumping gold subscribers in with those GP numbers... keep in mind.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 7h ago
shinoff218318h ago(Edited 18h ago)

What. Definitely more os plus subscribers but that makes sense due to actual console sales

Darth the difference between the bases are huge your right but you gotta think. Ps players buy more games, where as the Xbox base relies on gamepass for their gaming. So it makes perfect sense

darthv7218h ago(Edited 18h ago)

What makes perfect sense though? You say PS players buy more games... so then logically there should be more PS+ subscribers given the increased number of online multiplayer games in the PS4 generation alone. The PS4 was the first time that + was required for online play much like Gold was for 360 users.

Keep in mind we are talking subscribers, not simply XB/PS users. I assume you meant to say offline single player games, which is most likely true as well. That gen also saw a significant increase in games with an online component comparted to the previous gen.

victorMaje17h ago

I for one will be going back to essential at the next renewal. When I feel a game is good & right up my alley, I’ll check trusted reviews & just buy it.

jznrpg16h ago(Edited 16h ago)

I have the top tier until 2028 as they gave me a massive discount for all the years I had left but I’ll most likely go to essential as well. I buy my games but my kids do use the service occasionally. They do prefer to own their games as well since any game can leave the rental service at some point and they don’t like that idea. They mostly use it to demo games then ask me to buy games if they really like it.

RedDevils12h ago

For me, I will cancel it all together but unfortunately I still have it till 2030 lol

meganick16h ago

I would like to see Sony add a fourth tier of PS Plus for people who just want to be able to play games online without any of the perks like monthly games, store discounts, or anything like that, and it should cost $20 annually, $30 maximum. There’s no way I’m paying $80 just to play games online. Even the original $60 fee was too much, and I would often wait for sales to re-up my subscription.

P_Bomb12h ago(Edited 12h ago)

Essential is too expensive, I agree. We’ve got one Essential and one Premium sub. Dropping the Premium when it expires.

gamerz9h ago

Just let my subscription lapse for the first time since 2010. Will sub again every now and then for a month or so to access my old ps+ games but for me it's the end of an era.

DivineHand1258h ago

Let those numbers continue to drop because it is now too expensive. $80 per year just to play online. I noticed they didn't offer any discounts on the subscription or controllers during this year's days of play for the first time in many years and they will feel it when people choose not to renew.

My subscription will lapse next month and it will stay that way until further notice.

KevtheDuff4h ago

There were savings on subs and controllers here in the UK? I bought a controller yesterday in the sale..
It would be weird if those deals were not in other territories too?