Mega Man X Dive Gets Offline Re-release
The new version of Mega Man X Dive was announced during last week's Capcom Showcase. However, it turns out to be a re-release of a social game, repacked as a one-time purchase without the heavy reliance on microtransactions featured in the original version.
The shift from live service to offline re-release follows a trend in the free-to-play market. Failed games are being rebranded as buy-to-play games, eliminating the predatory monetization that doomed the initial versions. Another example of this trend is the re-release of Chocobo GP, a Final Fantasy kart-racing game that recently ended its service after a year. Now, it has been re-released as a full-priced game without microtransactions.
These re-releases offer some positive aspects. They not only preserve the games, which often disappear completely when live-service games shut down, but they also provide improved versions without predatory practices. It's indeed refreshing to see publishers making an effort to keep their games available.
However, this shift to rebrand microtransaction-filled mobile games as full-priced, non-microtransaction games sends a troubling message about the world of live-service gaming. If players support these offline re-releases, it conveys the idea that publishers can release microtransaction-filled games and later repackage them as buy-to-play if they fail. Currently, there seem to be no consequences for publishers who behave unethically and reverse their course when things don't work out.
Moreover, this trend also sends a negative message about live-service games in general. These games are often criticized for their predatory cycles and schemes that encourage players to spend more and more money. The lack of an end to these practices is disheartening because if these games ultimately fail, they can simply be repackaged as offline games, keeping all the ideas, visuals, and underlying gameplay while removing the negative aspects.
The entire situation feels quite problematic, and one can't help but wish that the original versions of these games never existed. Moreover, it is essential for publishers to face financial consequences when they invest in failed live-service games with poor monetization, resembling more of Candy Crush Saga than Final Fantasy VIII Remake. However, if publishers can conveniently remove microtransactions and pretend nothing happened, there is no lesson learned from these failures.
While there is no clear answer to this issue, it is hoped that players will not support these re-releases. It is positive that games like Mega Man X Dive Offline and the new version of Chocobo GP now exist, allowing players who were interested in them to enjoy a version of the game without the burdens of microtransactions.
However, these releases also imply that predatory live-service games, when shut down and failed, can be reborn as offline games with no exploitative monetization practices. Moreover, it's worth noting that many of these games shut down due to lack of sustainable profits, which raises another issue. Are these games predatory because they do not make enough money? Or would they stop being predatory if they were profitable because they are actually enjoyable? While skeptical of the latter, I remain open to correction on this subject.
Original Article: [link](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-version-of-failed-microtransaction-game-is/) News Shadowbane Prisoner Guide by Pengely Madellane on March 18, 2023 in Guides Guide
