The point isn't that people don't want to pay money up front, it's a decision being made by developers to churn out endless f2p games over games that gamers would glady pay up front for, and since everyone else is doing it and one or two people make a lot of money in it, a bunch of people who chase shiny try to chase shiny, just like others chased after crypto and other gimmicks.
All the while, the already paying customer base is frustrated.
All the while, the already paying customer base is frustrated.