Former Blizzard President Mike Ybarra suggests tipping developers if the gaming experience was special.
Mike Ybarra recently made an unusual suggestion. The former president of Blizzard Entertainment suggested tipping game developers.
The idea came to him after he became more and more interested in single-player games. In his post on X he mentioned games like Horizon Zero Dawn, Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3.
Ybarra said of his suggestion: “I’ve been thinking about this idea for a while, as I’ve been getting more and more into single-player games lately.”
“When I finish a game, there are some that leave me in awe because the experience was so great. At the end of the game I often thought, ‘I wish I could give these people another $10 or $20 because it was worth more than my initial $70 and they weren’t trying to rip me off every second.'”
“Games like HZD, GoW, RDR2, BG3, Elden Ring, etc. I know $70 is a lot, but it’s an end-game option that I wish I had at times. Some games are so special.”
However, he is aware that such an idea will not go down well with everyone and cited the pressure of having to give tips anyway.
“I know most people won’t like this idea 🙂 By the way, I realize we’re tired of tipping in all other areas – but I see this as different from the pressure to tip that many face and contribute to give them feedback.”
What do you think about the idea of being able to tip developers after finishing a game because the experience was so special?