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So EA and Respawn just recently stealth released a spin off BR game in the Titanfall Universe called Apex Legends. Nothing but good things are being said about this game. The actual gameplay is solid, it's free to play, the microtransactions are pretty much strictly cosmetic and can be earned in-game. There's just one problem.... The game contains monetized loot boxes or gambling. Sure, the system seems to be the fairest loot box system implemented thus far, odds are made public, there' duplicate protection, you can earn them for free by leveling up. Sounds fair, right? Especially when the game is free? Well, that's what EA wants you to think.
The loot boxes are the uncomfortable elephant in the room that almost no one is talking about and most who ARE talking about it are more or less defending it, and giving it an undeserved pass. I can believe EA allowed Respawn near complete creative freedom on Apex Legends in terms of gameplay and design, but I find it VERY hard to believe that EA didn't have even the smallest modicum of influence over the game's monetization scheme. This next bit is pure speculation, but I believe EA wanted to charge an entry fee for the game and they wanted pay to win, Respawn wanted to make the game free with a cosmetic only microtransaction system, ideally a direct purchase system. I believe they struck a deal, EA would allow Respawn to make the game free AND keep the microtransactions cosmetic only but for a cost. In return, EA would be allowed to demand implementation of a monetization scheme they would have some sort of control over and monetized loot boxes is what they chose. Respawn said "sure, but make it like the Overwatch system where you can earn free loot boxes by leveling up and allow us to make the odds of each drop public and implement duplicate protection." "Done." Said EA.
Now why would EA of all companies agree to something like this? Simple, at a time when monetized loot boxes are facing ever increasing scrutiny from both gamers and governments around the world and where countries like Belgium and the Netherlands have already taken regulatory action against loot boxes, EA needs all the positive they can get for loot boxes, so they can continue their plan of gradually implementing more and more egregious monetization schemes milking as much cash as they can in the short term and over saturate it to a point where the majority of gamers are so used to it and desensitized to it that they don't even care anymore because it's all they've known for so long. EA has the perfect shield from criticism and bad press for these loot boxes. "The game is free, they need to make money somehow." "Who cares? It's just cosmetics." "But you can earn them in game for free!" Are all common excuses you might see the people talking about using to defend the practice. However, the odds being public, duplicate protection, cosmetic only, and the game being free to play, doesn't make a monetized loot box system any less gambling. Like Jim Sterling (thank God for him) says "just because something is less bad, doesn't make it 'good,' it just makes it less bad, but it's still bad." All of things the system does right don't necessarily make it any less of an unethical and predatory monetization scheme that makes record profit preying on children and vulnerable adults susceptible to gambling addiction.
When you look at what happened with Shadow of War and Battlefront 2, it's easy to see why EA would agree to such a deal especially when they just fought Belgium and lost. Activision-Blizzard and Overwatch weren't the first monetized loot box system, but they did help normalize the practice to a frightening degree. The backlash towards Shadow of War and Battlefront 2 threw a wrench in that plan and forced EA and others to backtrack ever so slightly so the Overton window pushed back slightly to where loot boxes were "ok" as long they were just cosmetic and not pay to win like the original Battlefront 2 system. Then the Overton window shifted against all monetized loot boxes as more and more governments began to scrutinize and even take action against the practice. With the "stealth" launch of event time limited paid only loot boxes for Rainbow 6 Siege and Ghost Recon: Wildlands, there wasn't nearly as much backlash as there should have been, as almost no one talked about the boxes and those who did gave them a pass because they were "just cosmetic." Now we find ourselves in the same situation with Apex Legends.
The conclusion is simple, EA wants to use the game being free, the game actually being pretty solid, the public odds and dupe protection, and cosmetic only mtx as a Trojan Horse tactic to again shift the Overton window amongst the vast majority of the gaming community more in favor of monetized loot boxes so they can continue the slow gradual creep towards more and more egregious monetization practices they so crave so they can please their REAL customers, the shareholders. EA would use everything the game does right as bait to subconsciously trick and condition gamers to accept monetized loot boxes, and judging by the mostly silence topic and the positive press among those speaking out on the topic, most seem to have taken the bait, hook line and sinker. Supporting these loot boxes sets a bad precedent that gambling in games with real money is ok under certain circumstances and if you give these publishers an inch, you very well know they will take the whole goddamn world. I encourage people not to fall for this Trojan Horse and instead support games that do not contain gambling microtransactions or pay to play games that monetize like free to play games (AKA fee to pay) and see that monetized gambling loot boxes are NEVER ok whether the game is free or not. We need to stamp out this practice for good and be vigilant on the watch for alternative shady monetization practices they will try should they fail to normalize loot boxes again, and you just know they will. For EA, no press is good press when it comes to loot boxes, no one saying anything at all about them is just as good for EA as people saying good things about them. Don't buy into the Trojan Horse, it's a trap. As Jim Sterling said "AAA companies don't just want SOME of the money, they want ALL the money." If it's not all the money in the world, then it's not enough for these companies and their shareholders. Stay resolute, stay vigilant, and let companies know that if they want recurrent monetization, the game must be free, the mtx cosmetic only, and either let people pay directly for what they want, or get lost. Don't make us gamble for a CHANCE to get what we want, actually GIVE us what we want for our money, or it's going elsewhere. Thank you for reading, TLDR below
TLDR: Apex Legends is a Trojan Horse designed to shift the Overton window and slowly recondition gamers to accept monetized gambling microtransactions. Don't fall for it, don't take the bait.
The loot boxes are the uncomfortable elephant in the room that almost no one is talking about and most who ARE talking about it are more or less defending it, and giving it an undeserved pass. I can believe EA allowed Respawn near complete creative freedom on Apex Legends in terms of gameplay and design, but I find it VERY hard to believe that EA didn't have even the smallest modicum of influence over the game's monetization scheme. This next bit is pure speculation, but I believe EA wanted to charge an entry fee for the game and they wanted pay to win, Respawn wanted to make the game free with a cosmetic only microtransaction system, ideally a direct purchase system. I believe they struck a deal, EA would allow Respawn to make the game free AND keep the microtransactions cosmetic only but for a cost. In return, EA would be allowed to demand implementation of a monetization scheme they would have some sort of control over and monetized loot boxes is what they chose. Respawn said "sure, but make it like the Overwatch system where you can earn free loot boxes by leveling up and allow us to make the odds of each drop public and implement duplicate protection." "Done." Said EA.
Now why would EA of all companies agree to something like this? Simple, at a time when monetized loot boxes are facing ever increasing scrutiny from both gamers and governments around the world and where countries like Belgium and the Netherlands have already taken regulatory action against loot boxes, EA needs all the positive they can get for loot boxes, so they can continue their plan of gradually implementing more and more egregious monetization schemes milking as much cash as they can in the short term and over saturate it to a point where the majority of gamers are so used to it and desensitized to it that they don't even care anymore because it's all they've known for so long. EA has the perfect shield from criticism and bad press for these loot boxes. "The game is free, they need to make money somehow." "Who cares? It's just cosmetics." "But you can earn them in game for free!" Are all common excuses you might see the people talking about using to defend the practice. However, the odds being public, duplicate protection, cosmetic only, and the game being free to play, doesn't make a monetized loot box system any less gambling. Like Jim Sterling (thank God for him) says "just because something is less bad, doesn't make it 'good,' it just makes it less bad, but it's still bad." All of things the system does right don't necessarily make it any less of an unethical and predatory monetization scheme that makes record profit preying on children and vulnerable adults susceptible to gambling addiction.
When you look at what happened with Shadow of War and Battlefront 2, it's easy to see why EA would agree to such a deal especially when they just fought Belgium and lost. Activision-Blizzard and Overwatch weren't the first monetized loot box system, but they did help normalize the practice to a frightening degree. The backlash towards Shadow of War and Battlefront 2 threw a wrench in that plan and forced EA and others to backtrack ever so slightly so the Overton window pushed back slightly to where loot boxes were "ok" as long they were just cosmetic and not pay to win like the original Battlefront 2 system. Then the Overton window shifted against all monetized loot boxes as more and more governments began to scrutinize and even take action against the practice. With the "stealth" launch of event time limited paid only loot boxes for Rainbow 6 Siege and Ghost Recon: Wildlands, there wasn't nearly as much backlash as there should have been, as almost no one talked about the boxes and those who did gave them a pass because they were "just cosmetic." Now we find ourselves in the same situation with Apex Legends.
The conclusion is simple, EA wants to use the game being free, the game actually being pretty solid, the public odds and dupe protection, and cosmetic only mtx as a Trojan Horse tactic to again shift the Overton window amongst the vast majority of the gaming community more in favor of monetized loot boxes so they can continue the slow gradual creep towards more and more egregious monetization practices they so crave so they can please their REAL customers, the shareholders. EA would use everything the game does right as bait to subconsciously trick and condition gamers to accept monetized loot boxes, and judging by the mostly silence topic and the positive press among those speaking out on the topic, most seem to have taken the bait, hook line and sinker. Supporting these loot boxes sets a bad precedent that gambling in games with real money is ok under certain circumstances and if you give these publishers an inch, you very well know they will take the whole goddamn world. I encourage people not to fall for this Trojan Horse and instead support games that do not contain gambling microtransactions or pay to play games that monetize like free to play games (AKA fee to pay) and see that monetized gambling loot boxes are NEVER ok whether the game is free or not. We need to stamp out this practice for good and be vigilant on the watch for alternative shady monetization practices they will try should they fail to normalize loot boxes again, and you just know they will. For EA, no press is good press when it comes to loot boxes, no one saying anything at all about them is just as good for EA as people saying good things about them. Don't buy into the Trojan Horse, it's a trap. As Jim Sterling said "AAA companies don't just want SOME of the money, they want ALL the money." If it's not all the money in the world, then it's not enough for these companies and their shareholders. Stay resolute, stay vigilant, and let companies know that if they want recurrent monetization, the game must be free, the mtx cosmetic only, and either let people pay directly for what they want, or get lost. Don't make us gamble for a CHANCE to get what we want, actually GIVE us what we want for our money, or it's going elsewhere. Thank you for reading, TLDR below
TLDR: Apex Legends is a Trojan Horse designed to shift the Overton window and slowly recondition gamers to accept monetized gambling microtransactions. Don't fall for it, don't take the bait.
