Bethesda can boast that it is responsible for one of the most controversial DLCs in video game history. But even though there was a lot of uproar from the community at the time, the microtransaction turned out to be a success.
Which microtransaction is it about? Those who played Oblivion and rode across the vast, open world on horseback might be familiar with the controversial horse armor. However, players did not find it at any of the many merchants in the cities of Cyrodiil.
No, the horse armor was a paid DLC. And what a DLC it was. The purely cosmetic item cost €2.50 at the time but had no utility other than its aesthetic value. It did not improve the horse’s defense or help in any other way.
This caused a major scandal. The community was outraged, and there was a lot of confusion as to why money should be spent on such a useless microtransaction. However, a former developer from Bethesda reveals that the move was financially worthwhile.
For MeinMMO author Christoph Waldboth, Oblivion is the game he returns to once a year.
Once a scandal, now completely normal
What does the developer say? Bruce Nesmith was involved as a quest designer on Oblivion and later led the development of Skyrim. In a conversation with Videogamer, he explains that the horse armor was a great financial success.
According to him, it sold millions of copies, even though many players complained loudly about it. From a financial perspective, the excitement was worth it. By the way, they did not expect the reaction from players:
Both Bethesda and Microsoft were completely taken aback by the reaction; [we] didn’t expect that at all. Only in hindsight could it be seen that this was not what people wanted and that we fundamentally pulled a long nose at them without realizing it.
Bruce Nesmith via Videogamer
The main problem, according to Nesmith, was that Bethesda was the first studio to sell such a microtransaction. Over the years, it has become completely normal to spend additional money for cosmetic items on top of the full price. Bethesda itself recently stirred up controversy with Starfield, because a quest was offered for a fee.
The principle of microtransactions wasn’t that bad, thought the former marketing chief of the studio, Pete Hines:
The price isn’t the problem. People just want to feel like they’re getting a good deal. I pay $3 for downloadable content, but it should better be cool – and horse armors are just not cool. So if we had to do it again, I would say we should either wait until later with the horse armor or make it cheaper.
Pete Hines via gamesindustry.biz
Were there any other microtransactions for Oblivion? Yes, there were, and quite a few. However, most of them were significantly more useful, such as a wizard tower where players could live. With the horse armor, Bethesda has definitely gone down in video game history. According to Bruce Nesmith, the perfect game does not exist anyway: A developer from Bethesda says: A release without bugs is impossible.
