Microtransactions
Marketing applied to microtransactions in video games
- Author · Bachelor's thesis
- May 2025
- Skins and cosmetics
- Season passes
- Progression boosts / pay-to-win
- Virtual currency
- Loot boxes
Overview
Mixed-methods research on how free-to-play games monetise: case studies of Fortnite and Warzone plus a survey of 150 players on spending habits, motivations and regulation.
Bachelor's thesis in Marketing and Market Research, University of Málaga.
- players surveyed
- 150
- have made in-game purchases
- 80.8%
- want stricter regulation
- 85.4%
- cases: Fortnite and Warzone
- 2
A market research project, with no AI component.
No public demo: this project runs locally.
How does a free game turn its players into customers?
The free-to-play model has made battle passes, cosmetics and loot boxes one of the industry’s main revenue sources. The thesis studies those practices from a marketing angle and from the player’s perspective.
It combines case studies of Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone with a structured 31-question survey of closed and Likert-scale items.
Normalised, but questioned.
- of respondents have made an in-game purchase
- 80.8%
- want stricter regulation, especially to protect minors
- 85.4%
- play daily or several times a week
- > 79%
Looks sell better than advantage.
Type of content purchased, share of answers to the question.
Skins and cosmetics
73.8%Season passes
64.3%Progression boosts / pay-to-win
31%Virtual currency
23.8%Loot boxes
19%
Perceived autonomy, price and social pressure.
Purchase motivations mentioned.
Personal decision
59.5%Attractive price offer
45.2%Other players’ behaviour
33.3%Not falling behind in progress
23.8%Limited-time offer
16.7%
Profitability versus player autonomy.
Microtransactions are normalised and highly profitable, but they rely on persuasion mechanisms — variable reinforcement, FOMO, perceived scarcity, social comparison — that raise ethical questions about player autonomy and fairness.
The thesis proposes research and regulatory directions that balance profitability and ethics, with transparency and consumer protection at the core.