There's been a lot of talk about microtransactions in games lately, so it's safe to say that the timing of the approval of Activision's new matchmaking system couldn't come at a worse time for the company.
The patent might seem fair enough on the surface, as it mentions how it'll evaluate skill level, Internet speeds, latency, and other factors when matching players in multiplayer games. However, that's only a small part of it, as it's described as a "system and method for driving microtransactions in multiplayer video games".
Here's the full description:
"For example, in one implementation, the system may include a microtransaction engine that arranges matches to influence game-related purchases. For instance, the microtransaction engine may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player to encourage the junior player to make game-related purchases of items possessed/used by the marquee player. A junior player may wish to emulate the marquee player by obtaining weapons or other items used by the marquee player....The microtransaction engine may match the junior player with a player that is a highly skilled sniper in the game. In this manner, the junior player may be encouraged to make game-related purchases such as a rifle or other item used by the marquee player."
The system, if ever implemented, will also look at your gaming history to see what kind of items you might be interested in and your preferred play style, to match you with a highly skilled player that suits these preferences:
"In a particular example, the junior player may wish to become an expert sniper in a game... Microtransaction engine 128 may match the junior player with a player that is a highly skilled sniper in the game. In this manner, the junior player may be encouraged to make game-related purchases such as a rifle or other item used by the highly skilled sniper."
It doesn't help if you actually buy something either, as the system will then make sure that you want to spend more:
"For example, if the player purchased a particular weapon, the microtransaction engine may match the player in a gameplay session in which the particular weapon is highly effective," the text of the patent reads. "This may encourage the player to make future purchases to achieve similar gameplay results."
While it's easier to be supportive of season passes and microtransactions as it gets increasingly expensive to develop games, skewing matchmaking in the direction of in-game purchases is likely to be provocative. It's no secret that most games are made with basic psychology in mind, but this would take things to another level.
In response to the reports surrounding this patent, Activision issued the following statement:
"This was an exploratory patent filed by an R&D team working independently from our game studios. It has not been implemented in any of our games"
Whether or not that will continue to be the case remains to be seen.