The problem isn't the companies. It's the consumer. ...
And the fact that "consumer" has become the operative word is also a problem. By making that the identity label, when "customer"/"player" would suffice (and be more respectful of those that contribute to a revenue stream), it's framing the entire discussion that follows. Yeah yeah, I know, the way things play out is that games don't last forever. Some are inherently one-play-done, others take longer to master but ultimately the fun wanes along with the relative challenge/progress. I reject the notion that all we are good for is consuming things. We are not cattle, chained to a trough on one end and the loo on the other.
Respecting the player is what this thread's starting topic is really about, in essence. Game design that coerces people to spend more on trivial things in the middle of the experience ( *_especially_* after already paying US$60/€45(?)/AUS$100 for the box ) is a shitty way to treat the people that give you money. This is why I have spent precious few dollars on games in the last 12 years, and the majority of them went to CCP for running a 2-toon solo team for a year, or Asymmetric (KoL) for Mr. Accessories, or GoG for tasty classics on sale. EA hasn't seen a dime from me since 1999, when I got Dungeon Keeper 2, and likely never will again. EA will crash and burn before their culture changes to something I would support.