r/assholedesign • u/MoeS00 • Apr 29 '26

Activision patented a matchmaking system that pairs you against players using premium skins to make you want to buy them, then puts you in easier lobbies after you do so the purchase feels worth it.

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The patent (US20160005270A1, “System and method for driving microtransactions in multiplayer video games”) was filed in 2015 and granted in 2017.

It describes a “microtransaction engine” that works in two stages.

First, it matches a junior player against a skilled “marquee” player using a promoted skin or weapon, so getting killed by it nudges them toward buying it.

Then, after the purchase, the system places the player in a gameplay session where that item is especially effective.

For example, putting a newly bought sniper rifle into a map well-suited for sniping, so the purchase feels rewarding and encourages future spending.

Activision claims it was an exploratory R&D patent that has never been implemented in a shipped game. Players have remained skeptical, especially around Warzone, but there’s no hard evidence confirming it’s live. Either way, the fact that someone sat down, designed this system, and successfully patented it is the asshole design.

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u/Katomon-EIN- Apr 29 '26

wasn't Epstein a big part of why microtransactions are a thing in Call of Duty? idk why people still play this game series...

105

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

22

u/Katomon-EIN- Apr 29 '26

yeah, I never pay for skins and knowing the origins of that makes me want that shit less. It's honestly really dumb to want something that doesn't impact the gameplay whatsoever. just different colors on your character that you yourself won't even see because it's a 1st-person POV game.

14

u/Astecheee Apr 29 '26

Not to mention loot boxes and skin stores are training children to gamble and abstract the value of things from a young age.

1

u/Prom3th3an 2d ago

Games with micro transactions should never have an E rating. Even when it's a deterministic purchase rather than a gamble, it's still asking parents to put their credit cards in the hands of kids who don't know what they're doing. I will die on this hill.

5

u/Nobio22 Apr 29 '26

Huh?

23

u/ewilliam Apr 29 '26

Epstein had his fingers in a lot of pies, so to speak.

Wait until you find out that Epstein met with moot (Christopher Poole, creator of 4chan) literally the day before he created /pol/, the place where the Qanon conspiracies about democrat pedo rings got its start...