Activision’s New Patent Application Is Dodgy As F**K

Update 1:

Responding to feedback, an Activision Publishing spokesperson has responded to Kotaku with the following statement:

“This was an exploratory patent filed in 2015 by an R&D team working independently from our game studios. It has not been implemented in-game.”

In addition to that, Bungie community manager David “Deej” Dague has confirmed via Twitter that “None of this functionality appears in Destiny.”

Yep. We meant to say that in our title because that’s how we genuinely feel about this situation. Here at Kakuchopurei.com, we do not mince our words hence we apologize to those who are offended by it. But we cannot tolerate blatant exploitation of gamers and their gaming experience.

A recent patent application (and was approved last Monday) by the publishers of Destiny and Call of Duty, Activision sounds too fishy to be true. But it is. And it’s coming our way. As explained and discussed by YouTuber Downward Thrust, the approved application describes a new in-game engine that will manipulate one’s in-game experience to subtly but surely drive them to engage with the in-game microtransaction system.

In short, the engine will create a specific profile that reflects on one’s gaming experience. Be it latency, matchmaking wait, overall skill and tendencies. Theoretically, this can be used to improve one’s overall gaming experience. But the patent suggests something much more sinister underneath all that.

In short, the engine is designed to manipulate one’s data and put them at a disadvantage when playing against other players, which in turn, encourages them to engage with the microtransaction portion of the game. One may claim that we are overreacting here but it is blatantly detailed in the patent description:

In a time where microtransactions are plaguing full-priced games, affecting our overall experience, this is easily the cherry on the cake. Publishers aren’t beating around the bush anymore in regards to this practice and are openly and actively punishing those who do not engage in microtransactions. This. Has. To. Stop.

So what do you think of Activision’s application? Do you partake in full-priced game microtransactions and/or where do you draw the line? We’d love to hear your opinion on this and we appreciate if you folks keep the discussions civil.

You can get hold of the full patent text via the USPTO here.