Until now, several barriers contributed to the slow adoption of microtransactions on console: audience expectations, payment preferences and available options, game inventory. The retail model of shelling out $60 for a game has long been the dominant monetization method for consoles. Likewise, the system of first having to convert real money into, for example, Xbox Live points outside the game and then spending those points on an in-game item made for too many steps. But the Xbox One and PS4 suggest that the platform manufacturers are trying to streamline the purchasing process.

At the same time, major publishers are also getting wind of this new market. A growing number of console-based games are experimenting with microtransactions: blockbuster titles like Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar), Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft) and Borderlands (2K Games) have started offering virtual currencies. Today this amounts to only a secondary source of income, compared to their retail sales, but we expect this to continue to grow.