Tech
Why The $183 Billion Video Game Industry Can’t Quit Microtransactions
The video game industry cannot quit microtransactions.
In fact, two of the largest video game companies in the United States — Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive — now make the overwhelming majority of their money from live-service games, subscriptions and in-game purchases, according to their recent earnings reports.
Microtransactions are purchases that users make inside a game using real money. They show up as subscriptions, virtual currencies, and character customization options, among other examples.
Popular live-service titles such as Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Clash Royale were built around this revenue model. Game publishers must provide updates throughout certain game life cycles to retain player attention, which is where the term “live service” comes from. Gamers pay for those updates through season passes or subscriptions.Gamer backlash from the early attempts at in-game purchases caused the video game industry to shift its approach to these subscriptions and bundling purchasable content.
“The industry is really moved to more of a what they call a battle pass system, or some kind of packaging of seasonal content,” said Mat Piscatella, executive director of video games at Circana. “Those systems have found much warmer response because I think people are finding that they’re getting more value, and more reliable value for their money.”
In-game spending has become a high-stakes issue in addition to a lucrative business. Electronic Arts’ live-services operations made the company $5.6 billion in its most recent quarter, according to the company’s latest earnings report. Epic Games, which created the popular Fortnite franchise, took Apple to court over an in-game payment system that the developer released inside Fortnite in order to bypass Apple’s App Store fees. In Europe, app stores and so-called loot boxes are a major focus of tech regulators.
Watch the video above to learn more about microtransactions, the backlash involved, and where the industry goes from here.
Chapters:
0:00 — Intro
1:23 — The rise of microtransactions
4:00 — Gamer backlash
6:07 — Regulation
8:08 — What’s next?
Produced, Scripted and Edited by: Christian Nunley
Animation: Christina Locopo, Jason Reginato
Camera, Jeniece Pettitt and Andrew Evers
Supervising Producer: Jeff Morganteen
Additional Footage: Getty Images
» Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC
» Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision
About CNBC: From ‘Wall Street’ to ‘Main Street’ to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more.
Want to make extra money outside of your day job? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Earn Passive Income Online to learn about common passive income streams. Register today and save 50% with discount code EARLYBIRD: https://cnb.cx/3Iwblnk
Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news: https://www.cnbc.com/
Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC
Follow CNBC on Threads: https://cnb.cx/threads
Follow CNBC News on X: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC
#CNBC
Why The $183 Billion Video Game Industry Can’t Quit Microtransactions
source
Tech
How Working For Google, Amazon, And Microsoft Lost ‘Dream Job’ Status
Despite blockbuster earnings from giants such as Alphabet and Microsoft, layoffs continue to ripple through the tech industry.
Layoffs.fyi, a platform monitoring job cuts in the tech sector, recorded more 263,000 job losses in 2023 alone. As of April 2024, there have been more than 75,000 job losses in the industry so far.
“So instead of rewarding the growth that we saw them all pursue years ago, they’re now rewarding profit,” said Jeff Shulman, professor at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. “And so the layoffs have continued. People have become used to them. Regrettably and sadly, it seems that the layoffs are going to be the new normal.”
Even though mass tech layoffs continue to dominate headlines, the labor market still seems strong. The U.S. economy added 303,000 jobs in March, well above the Dow Jones estimate for a rise of 200,000, with the unemployment rate edged lower to 3.8%.
According to Handshake, a popular free job posting site for college students and graduates, the tech layoffs have prompted new workers to seek other opportunities. The share of job applications from tech majors submitted to internet and software companies dropped by more than 30% between November 2021 and September of 2023.
“Part of the reason why this is happening is because stability is such a major factor in students’ decisions around what types of jobs they apply to and what types of jobs they accept,” said Christine Cruzverga, chief education strategy officer at Handshake. “They’re looking at the headlines in the news and they’re paying attention to all of the layoffs that are happening in Big Tech, and that makes them feel unstable.”
Mass layoffs have eroded the shine of the tech industry, which is why workers are questioning whether getting a job in the tech industry should still be regarded as a ‘dream job.’
“For the people who are chasing like a tech dream job, I think keep your options open and be realistic,” said Eric Tolotti, senior partner engineer at Snowflake, who got laid off from Microsoft in 2023. “Don’t just focus on one company and feel like you have to get into that one company because it’s the dream.”
Watch the video to learn about tech workers’ sentiments, considerations for aspiring Big Tech employees, and more.
Chapters:
0:00-03:11 Cold Open
03:11-05:11 Chapter 1: The golden age of tech jobs
05:11-07:22 Chapter 2: Start of tech layoffs
07:22-10:21 Chapter 3: Is tech’s shiny image eroding?
10:21-12:00 Chapter 4: What’s next?
Produced by: Anuz Thapa
Edited by: Kevin Heinz
Narration by: Jordan Smith
Graphics by: Christina Locopo, Jason Reginato
Supervising Producer: Jeff Morganteen
Additional Footage: Getty Images
» Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC
» Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision
About CNBC: From ‘Wall Street’ to ‘Main Street’ to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more.
Want to make extra money outside of your day job? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Earn Passive Income Online to learn about common passive income streams. Register today: https://cnb.cx/3Iwblnk
Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news: https://www.cnbc.com/
Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC
Follow CNBC on Threads: https://cnb.cx/threads
Follow CNBC News on X: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC
Follow CNBC on WhatsApp: https://cnb.cx/WhatsAppCNBC
#CNBC
How Working For Google, Amazon, And Microsoft Lost ‘Dream Job’ Status
source
Tech
What Investors Can Expect In Amazon’s Post-Holiday Segment | Tech Bet | CNBC
With a stellar holiday season behind it, here’s what Amazon investors can expect going forward.
» Subscribe to CNBC: http://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC
About CNBC: From ‘Wall Street’ to ‘Main Street’ to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more.
Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/
Find CNBC News on Facebook: http://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Twitter: http://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Google+: http://cnb.cx/PlusCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Instagram: http://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC
What Investors Can Expect In Amazon’s Post-Holiday Segment | Tech Bet | CNBC
source
Tech
Elon Musk Puts Tesla And Self-Driving On The Fast Track | Tech Bet | CNBC
Elon Musk took to Twitter on Thursday to tell people that autopilot is a “super high” priority for Tesla, going so far as to tell followers that he’d be interviewing people “personally”. w/ Ben Fox Rubin, CNET
» Subscribe to CNBC: http://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC
About CNBC: From ‘Wall Street’ to ‘Main Street’ to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more.
Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/
Find CNBC News on Facebook: http://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Twitter: http://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Google+: http://cnb.cx/PlusCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Instagram: http://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC
Elon Musk Puts Tesla And Self-Driving On The Fast Track | Tech Bet | CNBC
source
Tech
Gadgets and Gear for Outdoor Activities | Tech Yeah! | CNBC
CNBC’s Julia Boorstin and Retailmenot.com tech expert Katie Linendoll discuss some cool gadgets and gear to make those summer days more fun.
» Subscribe to CNBC: http://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC
» Watch more episodes here: http://bit.ly/WatchTechYeah
Tech Yeah! zeros in on the biggest trends, hottest issues and coolest gadgets making waves in the ever-changing world of technology.
About CNBC: From ‘Wall Street’ to ‘Main Street’ to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more.
Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com
Find CNBC News on Facebook: http://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Twitter: http://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Google+: http://cnb.cx/PlusCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Instagram: http://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC
Gadgets and Gear for Outdoor Activities | Tech Yeah! | CNBC
source
Tech
Apple Watch Could Disappoint Early Users | Tech Bet | CNBC
The much-anticipated Apple Watch has been officially released, but according to one expert consumers may want to see some changes before sales really take off.
» Subscribe to CNBC: http://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC
About CNBC: From ‘Wall Street’ to ‘Main Street’ to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more.
Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/
Find CNBC News on Facebook: http://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Twitter: http://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Google+: http://cnb.cx/PlusCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Instagram: http://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC
Apple Watch Could Disappoint Early Users | Tech Bet | CNBC
source
-
Politics4 months ago
Watch The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell Highlights: Oct. 12
-
News4 months ago
Russian troops close in on Ukrainian capital of Kyiv | WNT
-
Entertainment4 months ago
Paris & Nicky Hilton’s BEST Sister Moments | Paris in Love | E!
-
Politics4 months ago
Suspected Hamas members arrested in Europe
-
Food2 months ago
Kardea Brown’s Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole | Delicious Miss Brown | Food Network
-
Food5 months ago
Guy Fieri Makes His “GUY-Talian” Nachos | Guy’s Big Bite | Food Network
-
Sports3 months ago
Mahomes 🙏 before warm-ups #shorts #superbowl
-
News3 months ago
ABC News Live: Vladimir Putin boasts about powerful new weapons in war on Ukraine
-
Entertainment4 months ago
Anthony Anderson steals Kevin Hart’s trophy from tWitch 😂 #shorts
-
Other3 months ago
If History Is Guide Rachel Maddow|MSNBC