It would probably be best if Apex Legends developers Respawn Entertainment took a cue from their namesake and just started over. That’s seemingly what CEO Vince Zampella is trying to do as he issued a personal apology to fans over the fiasco that transpired recently, saying that “things got to a pretty bad place”.
The controversy began last week with the kickoff of the new Iron Crown event which forced players to fork out ludicrous amounts of real-world money just for the chance of getting some of the incredible event-exclusive cosmetics in loot boxes. Over the weekend Respawn offered an apology for how they handled the event monetization, claiming that it was due to their newness in the Free-To-Play arena. However, Respawn’s apology – which included the no-better fix of making the cosmetics available to purchase directly in the in-game store at even higher prices than the loot boxes – drew a ton of ire from players on Reddit. And then things got nasty.
With players angrily shouting at them (and even accusing them of conspiratorily planning this whole debacle), some members of the development team reached a breaking point and fired back. Amid the ensuing war of words, devs called some players “ass-hats”, “freeloaders”, and “dicks” as they publicly vented. According to Zampella’s apologetic message on Twitter though, much worse was sent the dev team’s way, including “death threat and comments aimed at families and loved ones.” It was apparently this that forced the devs to “[cross] a line”, which he is sorry for.
Personally, I feel both parties are to blame here. There’s no way Respawn could have thought the monetisation elements they introduced with Iron Crown would be welcomed. They did it anyway because they knew that in the process they would reel in some “whales” who would drop a small mountain of cash on the game in a heartbeat. In this matter, players have every right to gripe and gripe loudly. They were being shafted and they shouldn’t have to take it.
However, complaining about something somebody has done is not the same as personally attacking that person. That’s also wrong. In fact, the one post that initially sparked this conflagration was when a dev using the handle dk05 called one of the vocal commenters a “dick”. While many focused on the penile insult, it was seemingly overlooked that the commenter said that even they felt they had gone too far with their insults, prompting them to edit their comments to remove the really bad stuff. That’s not on either.
Should the devs have responded the way they did? Hell, no. They are a company providing a product to the public. Not speaking to your customer base like this is Good Business 101. Can you blame them for also getting a little rankled though? Also, no. That being said, they need to do something about the monetisation for this event and they need to do it fast. Their “fix” simply isn’t one. It’s making things worse, and they desperately need to clean up this mess.
Last Updated: August 20, 2019
Original Heretic
August 20, 2019 at 11:59
There’s a reason I generally don’t deal directly with clients.
This is why.
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 20, 2019 at 11:59
See here.
This big fuss is over fucking DIGITAL COSMETICS. I have never in my life seen something so trivial. It’s beyond funny.
Grow up.
Pariah
August 20, 2019 at 11:59
Wow you said it in like 5% of what I said. LOL
Magoo マグ
August 20, 2019 at 12:15
Like it or not, digital cosmetics are a huge part of today’s games. And participating in the fashion show is part of the fun.
Imagine playing Diablo with no eccentric armors. Imagine playing Need for Speed without aftermarket customization.
I mean you say grow up but you’re not looking any deeper than “I won’t die without this thing.”
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 20, 2019 at 12:24
At the end of the day, we’re talking about inconsequestial video games. And now, fashion shows within video games.
And we all know how fickle fashion shows are.
Pariah
August 20, 2019 at 12:15
Actually it’s as shallow as “I can play the entire game and enjoy the entire game without spending a cent. I can’t even see myself in the skin because it’s an FPS. So what am I wasting my money on?”.
Stoompot
August 20, 2019 at 12:32
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9d4f267a9467aac36b5c59aa3a2f0d69869aa599f0d97960fa3eee5890e13c1a.jpg
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 20, 2019 at 12:46
Don’t get me wrong, not that it matters whether you do ;P , I in no way defend ANY MTX’s, you can look up my comments on disqus.
But this vitriol over cosmetic items is really trivial. This game won’t even matter in 5 years. Thus those skins will matter even less than than they do now, if at all.
Stoompot
August 20, 2019 at 21:58
To you maybe and power to you. Cosmetics are a big deal for some. Enter Fortnite making billions . and Apex asking for $20 a piece in season 2? yes it won’t matter later, way later. EA said it wants to support this game for 10 years( also anthem Lol} but skins matters now as well as later seasons , like when Joey and Rachel almost hooks up.Queue the whale call, there’s money to be made
Dr Webster Flexington
August 20, 2019 at 13:04
lol, 10/10
Pariah
August 20, 2019 at 11:59
I’m sorry but “They were being shafted” – when there’s no content and no requirement to spend a cent is just BS. People need to stop this. Cosmetics are the same as luxury items. Someone mentioned in the other thread – do you want a sports car? Sure, probably. Do you need one? No. Can you afford one? Probably not. Do you send death threats and be toxic against people who work at Ferrari and their loved ones because it’s expensive? Fuck no. No amount of desire for OPTIONAL, LUXURY items warrants any kind of toxicity. A discussion? Yes. ASKING the devs to rethink their monetisation to allow more people access to those OPTIONAL, LUXURY items, sure, go for it. But people need to pull their heads out their asses. If they don’t like it, they should simply not buy it. And money talks. The reason devs and publishers do shit like this is because people still spend their money on it. No money? Hey, then they’ll rethink it. But first people need to rethink their approach to optional, luxury cosmetic items.
If this was about content being locked behind this kind of paywall? Yeah, kick up a stink. No death threats or toxicity, but kick up a stink.
Dr Webster Flexington
August 20, 2019 at 12:07
It gets even more ridiculous when you distill all of this to the simple fact, that you still have to pay an insane amount of money to get a stupid skin in a game. It’s amazing how far we’ve come from Bethesda and their fucking horse armour (that started all this crap to begin with).
The fact that respawn still thinks it’s fine to charge $20 for FREAKING SKINS, offends me greatly. That’s 300 Randelas…. guys!!! You can buy two or three awesome games on Steam for that sort of money.
Pariah
August 20, 2019 at 12:15
So what are your thoughts on Path of Exile’s $42/$84 armour sets?
Dr Webster Flexington
August 20, 2019 at 12:24
I’d just quote PT Barnum, “A sucker is born every minute” and there’s probably someone out there who will, have or is considering throwing their cash into a bottomless pit.
Similarly, somewhere on this globe, some poor parent will discover that their credit card has been overdrawn because little Timmy bought iron crown loot boxes. At the end of the day, it comes down to business ethics, either you believe microtransactions are fine, because you’re unaffected, immune to it, profit from it or you see it for what it is, one of the worst aspects of modern gaming.
Pariah
August 20, 2019 at 12:24
Then how do you explain the love for PoE, despite having probably the most expensive, egregious MTXs on the market? How do you explain both the leniency and the frequency of spending there? What makes that so different? I haven’t seen even 5% of the level of stink leveled in their direction even though they’re worse than a lot of games out there?
The main reason? Their community accepts that MTX is optional. The community doesn’t mind supporting the game where they can. A large part of the community never gets cool wings or a fancy $20 skill effect. And they’re ok with that. Because the game itself is free. So why are people so selective over what’s ok and what’s not?
Dr Webster Flexington
August 20, 2019 at 12:39
You’re only half right, actually I’m being generous…. you’re not even close.
It boils down to psychology and manipulation.
Microtransactions (tied to cosmetics) are designed to be attractive to gamers, and the risk-and-reward setup is similar to how gamblers become addicted to slot machines.
Even though a gambling addict knows that the odds are stacked against them the emotional high they get from gambling is all they need. It’s the same setup for loot boxes.
And then for non-loot box microtransactions, you’re generally comparing yourself to other gamers playing the game, so when you’re heavily invested in it (and you’re actively comparing yourself to other gamers) you’re going to be more likely to spend money on cosmetics. And more so, if a cosmetic is part of a timed event, and the high you get is from being one of the few to possess it.
Some of us are immune to this sort of psychological manipulation, but many aren’t and some people are extremely vulnerable to it. The problem is those that are vulnerable to it are the very young.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 20, 2019 at 12:46
tl;dr
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 20, 2019 at 12:46
You should, He has a point.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 20, 2019 at 12:54
I did, but couldn’t resist
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 20, 2019 at 12:54
Ha! Fucker XD
Yahtzee
August 20, 2019 at 12:54
Tradition first. Then reading
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 20, 2019 at 12:54
This guy knows what is up.
What are we if we forget tradition?
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 20, 2019 at 13:19
Progressive.
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 13:19
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d2b71a310638ceaae72f72827bc73fb1434540b172a0087b4102a717ad61c469.png
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 12:55
oi! That’s reserved for my posts!
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 20, 2019 at 13:04
After your performance this weekend you get a reprieve for 7 months
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 13:19
Wooooooooooo!
Yahtzee
August 20, 2019 at 12:39
They were needed, I could’t see my character that’s blending in with the surrounding colour palates.
Viper_ZA
August 20, 2019 at 12:24
Still trying to get the elusive skin on CS that goes for $1000+ lol
Pariah
August 20, 2019 at 12:24
I saw a dota item the other day going for R14k. I was like what?
Viper_ZA
August 20, 2019 at 12:46
Yep Valve, more specifically the Gabe, don’t mess around haha
Lourens
August 20, 2019 at 12:31
BR is trash 😛
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 12:54
I headed over to the tweet and checked replies. Yep the toxic gamer crowd are still at large and demanding people be fired. GG toxic gamers. You are making the entire gaming community look bad.
Also, death threats? Really? Again? Grow up.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 20, 2019 at 12:54
Agreed, utterly pathetic
Viper_ZA
August 20, 2019 at 12:55
I don’t associate myself with kids throwing tantrums, those are not gamers 😛
HvR
August 20, 2019 at 12:55
Worst part is these idiot asshole takes the focus of the real issues and give companies like EA and Epic vindication for their dodgy actions.
Dr Webster Flexington
August 20, 2019 at 12:54
Erik Kain actually nails it – His sentiment echoes mine on this. If you’re speaking for a company, you don’t behave in such a blatantly unprofessional manner – it’s just that simple. You don’t feed the trolls, and if the feedback you’re getting is spicey, you engage with the ones that are less inflammatory, and you suck it up, and try to de-escalate. What you don’t do is fuel the fire like a dumbass.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2019/08/19/theres-no-excuse-for-respawns-unprofessional-response-to-upset-apex-legends-players/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
Viper_ZA
August 20, 2019 at 12:55
I have to say I have sometimes bought skins because I think it looked cool at the time. This is nothing new though. The Apex guy went ape shit and should have been reprimanded for losing it in a “chatroom”.
As long as said “cosmetic items” stay cosmetic and do not alter the in-game experience, I am okay with that. At the same time, it must be said I am sure a lot of kids get hold of credit cards and what not and go on a spending spree — this boils down to parenting imo.
We can all do with our money as we please 🙂
Geoffrey Tim
August 20, 2019 at 13:04
Number of people who came out of this situation looking good: 0
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 13:04
Except you. You always look good man
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 20, 2019 at 13:04
Long long maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan
Viper_ZA
August 20, 2019 at 13:04
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/58dd20e9ac36fe6052c62cb1f4f0a180bbefb273c1183a5a40143ad23c8e5634.jpg Still can’t touch this
Dutch Matrix
August 20, 2019 at 11:50
Wish I could call some of my customers what they really are.
And yet, I shut up. Because manners.
Dr Webster Flexington
August 20, 2019 at 12:07
Pretty much!
And, because you’re a professional, and you have to behave professionally. When you’re home and in front of your TV, you can call your clients or customers whatever you want, but when you’re on the job, you know that you have to behave in a very specific way, and that you’re not being paid to be sassy.
CrAiGiSh
August 20, 2019 at 12:07
Free-To-Play, but the developers are then lazy AF and expect customers to fork out cash for nonsense …
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 13:04
while the prices were a bit ludicrous and right to be called out, calling the dev team lazy is a bit odd? It’s free to play so has to get its cash flow from somewhere?
Yahtzee
August 20, 2019 at 13:04
Correct. Non lazy cash grab cosmetics that do not lock the best stuff you still want behind a initial paywall before you can then pay for what you want.
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 13:04
Didn’t defend this instance. Just pointing out that free to play has to get a cash flow somewhere.
This was a particularly bad move. But still, free to play will need MTs if people are to be paid
Viper_ZA
August 20, 2019 at 13:04
Except if you are of the opinion, everything should be for free. That’s a whole different discussion for another day xD
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 13:19
I actually think it forms part of this discussion.
The people who complained it was over the top expensive are ok. It;s good to call them out.
But what drove this dev to explode was the toxic community folk. They are exactly of the impression that everything should be free. To them it wouldn’t matter the price. Far too many folk believe they are allowed to own everything without spending a cent and that it’s their right.
Oh and of course the compulsive, no self control folk who simply cannot control themselves from spending on everything put in front of them. Then they complain when they realise they are out of pocket and have buyers remorse.
That’s where a lot of the toxicity is born from.
And it’s a pity. The majority of folk are good folk who’ll spend here and there for what they want and who have some form of self control and spend wisely. Calling out when something is set up in such a way that a sane person who works well with their money would never spend on something. Then the publishers or devs can course correct.
But the toxic few who take things to extremes and issue death threats? Yeah they are the ones that usually expect everything to be obtained free in some form or another.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 20, 2019 at 13:19
tl;dr
(couldn’t help myself)
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 13:19
But… but you said I’d get a break!
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 20, 2019 at 15:29
But he said he couldn’t help himself!
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 15:39
Darnit! Contract loophole!
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 20, 2019 at 13:19
7 minute contract cooldown
Yahtzee
August 20, 2019 at 13:19
tl;dr
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 20, 2019 at 13:19
“Yeah they are the ones that usually expect everything to be obtained free in some form or another.”
They expect it to be obtainable via grinding if not paying.
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 13:28
Grinding by the player doesn’t pay the dev bills though
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 20, 2019 at 13:43
I agree with you. Not agreeing with that they expect, but I suspect, that is indeed why they have their panties in a bunch.
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 13:53
oh yeah. Probably. Everyone kind of expects grind to own as a thing. Some companies can do this. Others can’t
CrAiGiSh
August 20, 2019 at 13:29
100% they do need the cash flow, but when you are releasing season passes, that are/were an absolute joke, copy pasting skins and then releasing an event which costs R3000 (should you buy) that just looks like they don’t care about their audience.
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 13:36
agree on the price. Still no argument there. Was a big stuff up
Dutch Matrix
August 20, 2019 at 13:36
This is like Apple charging $999 for a thing my friend can make in his garage for R50.00, a few welding rods and whatever two cutting discs for his grinder will cost.
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 20, 2019 at 13:43
This man knows what’s up
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 20, 2019 at 13:36
Indeed
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 20, 2019 at 12:32
And that’s all that needed to be said.
Yahtzee
August 20, 2019 at 14:47
dick
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 20, 2019 at 14:59
Raak gud.
Yahtzee
August 20, 2019 at 18:19
wow…
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 20, 2019 at 19:38
What is this REEEEE thing? I’ve seen it around but don’t understand it.
Yahtzee
August 20, 2019 at 19:38
It’s something spawned from twitch culture. Whenever a streamer starts to rage his chat will spam the REEEEEE thing to mimic how it sounds.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 20, 2019 at 19:38
Hahaha
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 22, 2019 at 13:33
Hahaha wtf
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 22, 2019 at 13:33
I’ve never even seen a twitch
Raptor Rants
August 20, 2019 at 15:10
no u
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 20, 2019 at 15:29
tl;dr
HairyEwok
August 20, 2019 at 12:46
At this point it is a lot of he said he said, both screwed up…. Apex for using F2P system and trying to bank on it, and then the gamers that fell for it and actively is still supporting it.