Tipping For Devs After Beating Their Games? Ex-Blizzard President's Idea Sparks Debate

Mike Ybarra, former president of Blizzard, is using the extra time on his hands to come up with ideas on how to help game developers survive this difficult moment in the gaming industry. Ybarra thinks that tipping might be a viable solution when gamers feel a single player game exceeds expectation once the credits roll.

Ybarra shared his thoughts on X, on his @Qwik account. He said, “when I beat a game, there are some that just leave me in awe of how amazing the experience was. At the end of the game, I've often thought "I wish I could give these folks another $10 or $20 because it was worth more than my initial $70 and they didn't try to nickel and dime me every second.”

Some of the games he mentions that left him with this feeling of extra generosity are God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, Elden Ring, and Horizon Zero Dawn. Of course, most of these games have been on the market for a while now, meaning they should be less expensive experiences for gamers. However, that isn’t stopping Ybarra, and at this point it seems like we just have to let him cook.


Although Ybarra does realize that the idea will be met with resistance. He says “I know most will dislike this idea. :) BTW, I realize we are tired of "tipping" in everything else - but I view this different from a pressure to tip type scenario many face and give feedback on.”

This is a truly a unique idea, as tipping is typically part of a scenario where someone receives exceptional service at an establishment such a restaurant. It gets even more complicated when trying to even think of how this would actually work, as the tips would have to be shared among hundreds of employees on larger games.

How about you, are you ready to start tipping your favorite game developers? Let us know in the comments below.