Former Blizzard boss suggests players should be able to ‘tip’ devs after finishing a game

Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra has suggested that players should be able to tip developers after completing a game.

Speaking on X, Ybarra said: “When I beat a game, there are some that just leave me in awe of how amazing the experience was.

“I’ve often thought ‘I wish I could give these folks another $10 or $20 because it was worth more than my initial $70 and they didn’t try to nickel and dime me every second’.”

Ybarra is quick to point out in the same post that “most will dislike the idea,” and that “we are tired of tipping in everything else – but I view this different from a pressure to tip type scenario.”

Ybarra lists games such as Horizon: Zero Dawn, God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, Baldur’s Gate 2, and Elden Ring as examples of games that have made him consider this tipping model.

While many independent developers have virtual tip jars, or ways to donate to the studio, it’s a rarity in big budget gaming.

A user responding to Ybarra suggested that if one was to enjoy a game that much, they could gift a friend the game on Steam, thus buying it twice.

This generation of home consoles saw publishers raise prices to $70 in the majority of cases, citing economic changes and skyrocking development costs.

However, players have routinely expressed frustration at companies charging that much for games, and then implementing microtransactions on top of that $70 fee.

Aware of the backlash from players, some publishers have launched microtransaction stores post-release, seemingly in an effort for them not to be highlighted as part of the review process from media.

However, this hasn’t always been successful. Recently, Tekken players expressed huge frustration to developer Namco Bandai for the introduction of the Tekken Fight Pass. 

Ybarra’s former employer Blizzard largely operates on a subscription-based model for it’s biggest title, World of Warcraft, but it also regularly sells skins and other items in Overwatch 2, and card packs in Hearthstone.