That is how capitalism works, Inno is just another company...
Well, yes - but that could equally be said of every profit-making entity, from market stall to megacorp, since Capitalism (the merits of which I will refrain from debating...) has existed, and yet I well remember the days when almost all businesses prided themselves (as some still do, of course) not only on the profitability but also on the
quality and longevity of their products, as well as their overall corporate reputation, levels of customer satisfaction, and customer service skills - which also seem to be dying concepts in the world of business in general and gaming in particular, now that many [primarily mobile] games no longer possess
any form of (especially live) Tech Support - or even a basic customer contact method, at worst.
(NB : I am often inclined to criticise InnoGames's strategic decisions, and this post isn't going to disappoint (?!) in that regard, but I am always pleased to say that their Support staff, whenever I have needed them, are invariably dedicated, knowledgeable, helpful, polite,
and available 24/7... in the form of real employed people, too, not just static pre-written FAQs, horrid moronic 'chat bots' (grrr, hate hate!), and/or fan-created Wikis and online tools/utils, some of which are excellent, of course, but some of which... well, aren't. That said, Elvenar's voluntary community-run resources are also top-notch, of course; we are certainly spoiled for choice when it comes to help and support of all kinds!).
While any business in a Capitalist system obviously needs to make money, it's sad to see this becoming the
only goal, now that the old concepts of integrity, quality, value for money, customer loyalty, and, most old-fashioned of all, simple pride in one's work and reputation are increasingly (and knowingly) sacrificed by major gaming companies on the altar of the ever-rapacious Great God of Profit Above All Other Considerations Bar None... :/
And as for how this spiel of mine relates to the current Phoenix Event, well: once again, we are handed an Event which I find to be not only generally lacking in novelty, inspiration, and effort [with the exception of some of the new graphics], but one which is also - once again - inferior to that which preceded it (the Elvarian Carnival). And this is why I am rambling on about the difference between the profit-only motive (which is, I contend, the root cause of this Event's - and others' - ever-more lacklustre nature) and the more quality-orientated approach of most gaming companies in years past - and of some in the present day, too. It is very doubtful that, despite the several mobile-friendly and shiny, but merely superficial, Event UI alterations
* which have been made in comparison with last year's Phoenix Event, and even the previous Event(s) of this year, the
content of the current Event is, in practical terms for most players, anything other than noticeably inferior to last year's offering, and - again - even the last Event's offering, and it is this constant prioritising of the profit-motive (alone) above game quality (and fun!) and pride in one's work which I find so disappointing.
* (Side note : Did the browser version of the Diamond Shop, of all things, really need to be altered, in the past day or so, to match the mobile client's graphics? Was there really nothing else more important - like some non-tediously-repeating Event Quests, for example - to work on right now? /sigh...)
I cannot imagine any gaming company of my youth, nor yet a decent indie developer of today, intentionally nerfing or simply removing in-game content that players have learned to love, to anticipate, and even to rely upon (e.g. : Chest side-prizes yet again reduced in value; Phoenix functionality inferior; new Daily Prize buildings mediocre; Lava Eggs difficult to win; and Burning Pools absent, according to Beta), cutting back on desirable 'extras' such as high-quality promotional graphics (see my extensive whinge above on this particular aspect of the Event), or spending a small fortune on publicity puffs (including such costly non-essentials as 'Social Media Analysts') while - it seems - paying for all of this by reducing what were once universally considered non-optional core aspects of computer games, such as excellent and regular new creative content, frequent and credible attention to in-game balance (Scrolls, for pity's sake...?!), useful Quality of Life improvements, and just as importantly as all of these, two-way real communication between developers [themselves] and players (as opposed to merely 'talking at' players...
viz. vapid Facebook/Instagram fluff)... who are, of course, the people whom gaming companies once sought keenly both to impress and to retain
as well as to profit from.
I have never accepted that profit
must equate to outright greed, and 'Capitalism' is not, in my view, a magic word which explains - or excuses - all.