Microtransactions: How They Started

While once they were small annoyances that were used to gatekeep tiny pieces of content behind paywalls, over the years microtransactions have come to absolutely dominate the gaming landscape.
But where did this trend all start, and how did it get so popular?

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:50 Where It All Began
02:15 Who Introduced The Concept?
02:43 The First Microtransaction
03:24 How EA Popularized Microtransactions
04:24 Activision Takes The Stage
05:58 Microtransactions In Single-Player Games
07:18 Some Examples of Awful Monetization
07:58 Microtransactions Aren't Going Anywhere
08:39 Outro

Sources:
https://www.vg247.com/the-harsh-histo...
https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/stor...
https://www.eurogamer.net/microtransa...
https://www.polygon.com/23271691/diab...
https://www.eurogamer.net/star-wars-j...

Tags:

#xbox #microsoft #playstation #sony #microtransactions #lootboxes #overwatch #electronicarts #apexlegends #shadowofwar #overwatch2 #nintendo #candycrushsaga #genshinimpact #genshin