Clicker Heroes 2 Dev Drops Microtransactions For Ethical Reasons

Developer and Publisher Playsaurus known for their game Clicker Heroes and the upcoming sequel Clicker Heroes 2 both of which are an action RPG game where players click on enemy units until they kill them and then collect bounties from it.

The original game is free to play but has optional in-game microtransactions where players can purchase in-game currency called Rubbles which allows users to buy items from the in-game store.

But the devs of the game has released a new blog on their official website where they have announced that they will be dropping the microtransaction system from their game and will be going the paid route Why? well, its because of ethical reasons you can check out their full statement below.

We made a lot of money from these players who spent thousands. They are known to the industry as “Whales”. Great. If you’re rich, please be my guest. But we don’t want this kind of money if it came from anyone who regrets their decision, if it made their lives significantly worse as a result. Unfortunately, those who have a problem are usually in denial about it, and would be too ashamed to ask us for a refund. We would give the refund in a heartbeat. It’s not like we have artists drawing each ruby by hand. It costs us nothing but payment processing fees.

We really don’t like making money off players who are in denial of their addiction. And that’s what a large part of free-to-play gaming is all about. Everyone in the industry seems to rationalize it by shifting the blame, assuming way too much cognizance on the part of their victims. People can make their own decisions, right? But it just doesn’t sit well with me. Despite very few of our players having complained, it felt wrong when we started doing it and it still feels wrong now.

That said, we’re not going to change how we monetize Clicker Heroes 1. It would destroy our studio if we did. Most people are OK with how we’ve handled it. Our unlimited refund policy still stands. But going forward we’re going to at least try the paid-up-front model for our business. It may or may not work. It probably isn’t worth nearly as much money, but at least we can do it with a cleaner conscience.

Playsaurus probably might be the first studio to drop the microtransaction after the huge outcry over the loot boxes in EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2 and other AAA games. In future, we might see more studios adapting this method of full price no microtransaction in game. Cyberpunk 2077 devs have already said that they “Leave The Greed To Others”.

With this announcement, Playsaurus also mentions that they would be offering refunds for up to a full year. Clicker Heroes 2 would be coming in 2018 with multiple characters with the support of Mods. the old version of the game will continue receiving multiple updates.

For more information about the Clicker Heroes 2, you can visit the official website or the steam store page.