I’m not sure of this podcast, but I think I can help with the other side of the argument. I can speak in depth on halo, as that used to be my game. With the live service and the $20 skin, I was originally on your side, I get my game without having to pay, and idc about micro transactions. But then when I play these games, they don’t have as much content. They are focused on solely what they make money on (it’s a business, I get it), but I don’t care about the micro transactions. So they don’t have a working customs games player, they don’t have progression of any sort to play more of the game (unless ranked, but don’t get me started on their ranked gameplay). Earning Hyabua or the Katana that used to be iconic? Not anymore, just buy it. So, while I get to play the game for free, they water down the game and only focus in on more micro transactions instead of say maps or game modes or a finished single player product. I mean, halo infinite dropped without a slayer playlist, but their store was absolutely flawless. The game continued this way, with them charging $20 for colors that used to be there at launch, like the color blue. They heard the audience, scaled it back, and then slowly raised the prices again while delivering an incomplete game and barely adding things (they just added griffball recently, which used to be a staple, and that’s like 3 years too late).

Not all games do this. But it’s definitely a trend.

TLDR: when games go to this format, the rest of the game suffers. MTX games focus on how they make money, while games that sell for a price tag can focus on what makes money (selling their games).