In 2006, Bethesda, the developer of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, did something that many thought was unthinkable at the time. The company sells in-game items for real-world currency in a full-priced game. This is a $2.50 decorative waistcoat set.
Oblivion’s controversial vest is largely considered the first microtransaction in a premium AAA game. Today, vests are one of many items you can buy in many games, including the recently released Diablo 4. While the idea isn’t new, these prices certainly are.
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In addition to the early access release of Diablo 4, which launched Friday, various bundles are live on the in-game store. The store’s structure is similar to that found in most modern games, including Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty. It offers bundled character skins, horses and vests.
All of these can be purchased using Platinum, a premium currency that can only be purchased in certain denominations. The Horse Armor Bundle is usually the cheapest at 800 Platinum. That’s the equivalent of $8, more than three times what Oblivion pays.
There’s no way to buy 800 Platinum outright, so you can buy 1,000 packs for $10 and have some left over, or 4 packs of 200 for $8. The first option means that Diablo IV’s vest will be more expensive than Oblivion’s, four times the price.
Of course, there are more expensive bundles, which can cost as much as 1,500 Platinum for a horse and 2,800 for a character bundle. The 1,500 horse pack includes the mount and the armor, which seems a bit silly considering most armor will cover the entire horse.
All of this seems even more silly when you consider how much of your purchase you will see and appreciate. Oblivion is a third-person/first-person game, so $2.50 vests will pop up a lot. In Diablo, you’re mostly viewing your character from a bird’s-eye perspective, so the effect is less noticeable.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ inflation calculator, $2.50 in 2006 had the same purchasing power as $3.77 today. That means even $8 is more than twice the actual price.
In fact, the business model for games in 2006 makes things even more unfortunate than it would be in 2023. Diablo 4 is a $70 (minimum) game available on day one, with a season pass to follow. Starting at a more expensive price point, there are far more opportunities for sustained consumption in modern games than in the Xbox 360 era.
