There is currently a dispute on Reddit between developers at Respawn and the community over Apex Legends. After Respawn apologized for the skins in loot boxes, fans are still angry – and one developer spoke out in a way that frustrated players. The developer referred to them as “Free-Loader,” similar to freeloaders or those looking for free handouts.
This is the conflict in short: If you missed the last few days in Apex Legends, here’s the latest:
- Apex Legends has introduced a new “Iron Crown” event
- For this event, there were new legendary skins that looked pretty cool and the players wanted them
- However, players could not directly purchase these cosmetic skins, but had to buy loot boxes (about €7 each) in hopes that the skin they wanted was inside
- This led to a lot of anger – accusations were thrown at “EA” for pushing their loot box games
- The developers behind Apex Legends apologized subsequently and will soon make the skins available for purchase in the shop (the legendary skins for about €18 each)
Flames began after the apology
This was the conflict: After the apology, the discussions did not calm down but continued heatedly. The community blamed EA and felt pressured to spend money. The players reacted aggressively. They believed: We need to make a statement to prevent this in the future.
Attempts at explanations from the developers were partly dismissed as “bullshit”.
One developer, Respawn Project Lead, Drew McCoy, engaged with fans in a conflict overnight from Friday to Saturday, and it turned into a kind of flame war. He apparently lost his temper because he felt mistreated along with his team.
The developer’s comments were heavily downvoted and are now causing a stir.
These are the controversial comments
In a comment that has nearly 3000 downvotes, McCoy says (via reddit):
I’ve been in the business long enough to remember a time when players weren’t complete assholes, and that was really nice. Back then, I formed long-lasting connections with some. It would be cool if it could be like that again and we wouldn’t have to deal with toxic people […]
In a second comment (via reddit), which has now received 4059 downvotes, he says:
“Hey, guys. I found the dick I was talking about. I didn’t even read your comment except for the first and last sentences. This kind of crap doesn’t deserve a response, but luckily for you, I already wrote a comment about it earlier. Go find it.”
Most of you are freeloaders – and we love that
These are the comments about loot boxes: Critically viewed, there are also comments regarding loot boxes and microtransactions. Players criticize that the skins in Apex Legends are too expensive – yet the developer claims that discounts on prices do not lead to more sales. The data shows that.
They are “incredibly generous” at Apex Legends regarding the amount of free stuff. There is a price for every product, and they are in the neighborhood of other games.
He further states that people should vote with their wallets. Reddit and Twitter are bad places to really gather data.
They need to generate revenue at Apex Legends to keep the game running and to be able to build more things for the players. However, they always receive negative feedback when they release something that costs money. People want “free stuff.”
Update 19.8. 17:43: Meanwhile, there are further comments from a developer on Apex Legends on the topic.
Project Lead McCoy says (via reddit):
“There is a lot of data on how monetization works in free-to-play games, and we’ve done tests ourselves by offering skins as sales in the shop. The number of people spending money is incredibly low; most of you are freeloaders – and we love that – but a change in price doesn’t move the needle.”
The developer apparently feels unfairly treated by the fans
What else does he say? Besides the comments that upset players, there are numerous other comments in which the developer tries to explain his position.
He says: “You can yell at us when we do something stupid. […] Please give us the opportunity to make changes and do the right thing.”
They are “incredibly generous” at Apex Legends regarding the amount of free stuff. There is a price for every product, and they are in the neighborhood of other games.
He further states that people should vote with their wallets. Reddit and Twitter are bad places to really gather data.
They need to generate revenue at Apex Legends to keep the game running and to be able to build more things for the players. However, they always receive negative feedback when they release something that costs money. People want “free stuff.”
Update 19.8. 17:43: Meanwhile, there are further comments from a developer on Apex Legends on the topic.
