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New Apex Legends and Final Fantasy Crossover Event Stuns Fans With $290 Microtransactions - IGN

Apex Legends kicked off a new collaboration with Final Fantasy Square Enix recently, and fans were stunned to discover that some of its best items can cost $290 to acquire, with less than 1% chance of getting them for free.

www.ign.com

Previously, each Event Pack cost 700 Apex Coins, or around seven dollars. In this event, the price for one event pack is 1,000 Apex Coins, or about $10. With that change alone, this is the most expensive event to date for Apex Legends, with Milestone Rewards like the event’s Death Box skin costing as much as $290.

What’s more, the pricing isn’t as straightforward as it was in previous events. When players load up the Seasonal Event tab, they’re greeted with a free event box and a new Milestone Reward track that shows the “free” reward for that tier. The two most controversial items are the brand-new Death Box skin and the Heirloom Buster Sword R5 cosmetics, the expensive items guaranteed at the end of the Milestone Rewards.

There are two options for purchasing packs: individual and bundled. When players look at the options before hitting the first milestone, the packs cost a discounted 100 Apex Coins individually, or 1,600 for the four. However, this pricing changes the more packs you purchase.

I discovered this after attempting to see how many Apex Coins the full 36 items would cost with that initial discounted price. I saw that after my first four pack bundle purchase, the pricing jumped from 100 Apex Coins to 500, pushing it to 2,400 Apex Coins. The pricing slowly crept upward, and I wasn’t even halfway through the Milestones when the pack prices were back to 1,000 Apex Coins.

I found myself with 21 items left to unlock before getting the final controversial Death Box skin for “free.” I would have had to spend an additional 21,000 Apex Coins ($210) on top of the previous 8,000 ($80) I already spent in order to obtain it. In total, with all deals applied, the 36 items — 35 not counting the free pack on login — would have cost me 29,000 Apex Coins, or $290 USD.

In previous collection events, players were able to at least go to the event shop and buy the specific Legend Skins, but Apex Legends' new crossover event only allows players to purchase the character skins for 2,150 Apex Coins ($21.50), with no additional Event or Apex Packs.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

The problem isn't the pricing, the problem is people paying said price.

 

[Punished Miku]

Men_in_Boxes , explain yourself.

 

[Draugoth]

Stop playing GaaS and be happier

 

[acm2000]

you know its optional right? and you dont have to get everything? its a choice for whales, dont be a whale.

 

[SportsFan581]

They should just start doing $290m, then they only need a couple of whales and done. And just think of how exclusive those skins would be.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Men_in_Boxes , explain yourself.

If you're swimming next to whales, it means you're in the ocean.

If you're swimming next to everyone who's the same size as you, it means you're in a puddle.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

I played apex for the first ten seasons. Completed every battle pass and played in every event. I paid real money once, $10, for the season 1 battle pass and earned everything else.

These events were always batshit insane if you wanted skins. They gave you one or two for free, and charged over $100 if you wanted to “complete” it.

 

[dreamstation]

Stop playing GaaS and be happier

Where is it written that gaas games have to be riddled with overpriced mtx? It's the developers choice to try and rip the consumers off as much as possible, not necessarily the genre or style of game. If people stopped buying these overpriced things then they wouldn't have a market.

 

[bender]

If you're swimming next to whales, it means you're in the ocean.

If you're swimming next to everyone who's the same size as you, it means you're in a puddle.

What if you're swimming and get hit by a drunken hillbilly in a twelve-foot Jon Boat?

 

[rodrigolfp]

Stop playing GaaS and be happier

Why should I stop playing GaaS games if idiots keep banking them for me buying those MTX?

 

[simpatico]

Hopefully they can gouge these whales enough that some value trickles down to regular gamers.

 

[DonF]

I know that the pricing is insane, but at least they gave us a free pack! I got the iconic Watson skin. Also, the first pack is just a dollar. This event is COMPLETELY whale oriented. You can gamble for 2 skins for a single dollar or even free, you get those coins in the battle pass.

 

[adamsapple]

Baby steps to reach Star Citizen.

 

[Meicyn]

With enough Visa power, you too could buy the right to wear the Scuffed Aerith skin!

Jesus Christ, how do you fuck up Aerith this badly.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

With enough Visa power, you too could buy the right to wear the Scuffed Aerith skin!

Jesus Christ, how do you fuck up Aerith this badly.

 

[Meicyn]

lmao

 

[Ozzie666]

Problem is there are always people with way too much money, who will buy. This type of thing isn't for most of the gaming audience.
Or there are people who will put themselves into debt or use it as part of their youtube channel and claim business expenses.
Nothing compared to Star Citizen though.

 

[Barakov]

 

[Nonehxc]

Now she really is the Ancient.

 

[LordBlodgett]

I hate this, and yet I don't care at the same time. The game plays great, is fun with friends, and costs nothing. None of these skins will make you a better player, and the first few are cheap. They do it this way to get maximum value out of moronic whales. On the other hand the fact they can charge this much and they know it will make money is what is driving the entire industry to develop GAAS games, taking previously awesome single-player studios away from what they are good at just on the chance that the GAAS being developed can hit big enough to gouge whales.

 

[Robb]

 

[Cyberpunkd]

you know its optional right? and you dont have to get everything? its a choice for whales, dont be a whale.

It’s not a choice for whales only, the whole system is designed to exploit the gullible and make them spend money. You can congratulate a drug dealer for having smooth operation while at the same time admitting what they are doing is inherently immoral.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

I played apex for the first ten seasons. Completed every battle pass and played in every event. I paid real money once, $10, for the season 1 battle pass and earned everything else.

These events were always batshit insane if you wanted skins. They gave you one or two for free, and charged over $100 if you wanted to “complete” it.

Yeah, I don't know who's paying those prices, but it means that you and I get to play for as little as nothing. I like the battlepasses for the challenges, rather than skins, and also bought the first one for cash and unlocked the others with the coins earned in the previous battlepass.

I'd love to know how many people are buying skins and how regularly and frankly, who they are, I know one person who buys cosmetics occasionally, but he's far from spending $290 on something.

 

[Windom Earle]

Apex was fun in the first few seasons but got really old. Amazed people still play let alone pay money for it.

 

[fersnake]

havent payed a dime since release i got 3 Legendary hairlooms but damm that buster sword is giving me some itch but no, im not gonna give in.

 

[Xtib81]

I have seriously no idea why people are ready to pay this much for skins, it really boggles my mind.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

I have seriously no idea why people are ready to pay this much for skins, it really boggles my mind.

Honestly? I've bought some €20 skins in Fortnite, like Vegeta, even though I don't even really play Fortnite, apart from the rare occassion where I play together with my stepson.

€20 might be expensive, but they way I see it, it's only expensive if you buy skins all the time.
The times I buy cosmetics in games is quite rare, but tbh, there are people who spend a couple hundred bucks a week on drinking and clubbing, so what's €20 every now and then for a cosmetic?

I work to earn money, so I can spend it.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

The problem isn't the pricing, the problem is people paying said price.

Most people don't pay. But the few who do make up for it big time. It's more than enough to make sense financially. People need to understand that the ads they're forced to see in their games are NOT targeted at them, but at .0001% of the player base.

Edit: And the ones who do pay are not just doing it "because they're rich" but probably because of some serious psychological issues.

 

[crunchyBiscuits]

Maybe if enough people buy those cosmetics we can finally get 120fps mode on consoles

 

[acm2000]

It’s not a choice for whales only, the whole system is designed to exploit the gullible and make them spend money. You can congratulate a drug dealer for having smooth operation while at the same time admitting what they are doing is inherently immoral.

Depends what they're dealing

 

[MonkD]

Honestly? I've bought some €20 skins in Fortnite, like Vegeta, even though I don't even really play Fortnite, apart from the rare occassion where I play together with my stepson.

€20 might be expensive, but they way I see it, it's only expensive if you buy skins all the time.
The times I buy cosmetics in games is quite rare, but tbh, there are people who spend a couple hundred bucks a week on drinking and clubbing, so what's €20 every now and then for a cosmetic?

I work to earn money, so I can spend it.

Totally agree. Anything spent on a hobby can be deemed useless.

But it is sad to see that the developers are openly trying to squeeze every cent out of their users. Wasn't that long ago that you'd purchase the skins(as dlc) straight out of store, without the need of any ingame currency. It would be interesting to see how the removal of ingame currency would impact sales/pricing.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

I’ve been playing this game since release, and I’m left completely unstunned by this development. Horse armor still going strong. What am I missing?

 

[Cert.in.Death]

You get the game industry you ask for.

Don’t like it, don’t pay.

 

[wolffy66]

Good, let the rich whales fund everything. Doesn't effect me lol

 

[Cyberpunkd]

On the other hand the fact they can charge this much and they know it will make money is what is driving the entire industry to develop GAAS games, taking previously awesome single-player studios away from what they are good at just on the chance that the GAAS being developed can hit big enough to gouge whales.

Someone gets it.