There was a brief period in the early to nba 2k21 mt coins mid 2000's where I do not really remember any serious fuckery in the major publishers, but this interval is much more the exception than the rule.
The fact of this is that videogames are a big company, and large companies will push the bounds so as to make more money.
I don't really think this period is really much worse than others, and in certain ways is considerably better with how easy it is for indie developers to make and publish games. There is SO many games being put out today that it is not tough to ignore the ones with terrible business practices if you want.
I mostly play indie games today, and lots of them are more memorable than most AAA games I have played previously.
Sure, it's simple to say that today. But what if Hollow Knight had fallen at $60, even with double the material it's today. Or even at $30 using the material it currently has?
There could have been a huge outrage on the internet and it might have sold extremely badly. But that model is done.
Nobody will pay full price for games like this anymore, as sad as this is. Games like it are now unfortunately forced to be created through indie development or just never exist.
Want a recent example? Bloodstained. A match that mostly did fairly well and didn't disappoint. Nevertheless the general consensus for this was that it is original asking price (and present non-sale price) of $40 has been largely seen as too pricey.
When? I am too young to buy nba 2k21 mt understand, however, Hollow Knight was created by two people and it was kickstarted. Even 20 years ago I doubt you could consider this AAA release beyond its robust quantity of content and polished gameplay.
