A system patented by Activision could use a player's matchmaking experience to help drive microtransactions, Rolling Stone's Glixel reports. The patent, which was filed way back in 2015 but only just recently granted on October 17, 2017, describes a "system and method for driving microtransactions in multiplayer video games."
If implemented, the system would use data regarding a player's microtransactions (or lack thereof) to influence who that player gets paired with. "For instance, the microtransaction engine may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player to encourage the junior player to make game-related purchases of items possessed/used by the marquee player," according to the patent.
Another example given by the patent is even more explicit in the ways such a system would seek to manipulate a player's emotions and sense of accomplishment. "For example, if the player purchased a particular weapon, the microtransaction engine may match the player in a gameplay session in which the particular weapon is highly effective, giving the player an impression that the particular weapon was a good purchase. This may encourage the player to make future purchases to achieve similar gameplay results."
None of this functionality appears in Destiny. https://t.co/IXlR05tZ1cOctober 17, 2017
A quick note: just because a patent exists doesn't mean that the product it describes exists or ever will exist. Remember those wild concepts for a Nintendo Switch controller? While it's conceivable those could one day be held by human hands, that future isn't exactly on the horizon. Same goes for this patent - just because it exists doesn't mean Activision is using it now or will in the future. That said, someone clearly thought this was a good idea.
Ultimately, whether this idea comes to fruition or not, it provides a bit of an inside look into the mind of the businesses who steer this industry, and that's worth keeping an eye on.
