In the sandbox MMORPG ArcheAge, there are some murmurs about a wave of special offers. A flash-sale-like offer is particularly upsetting to fans. Is Trion Worlds trying to improve its quarterly numbers with sales?
As reported by the US site Massively, Trion Worlds is currently causing a stir in the ArcheAge forums with a special offer. On Monday, Trion Worlds launched a special offer for APEX: “A Special Bonus on APEX Purchases – for a Limited Time Only.”
- Anyone who buys 5 APEX Packs gets 1 free.
- Anyone who buys 10 APEX Packs gets 3 free.
What some people are complaining about is the phrase “Act fast! This offer could disappear at any moment.” It is a “flash sale” that is not clearly time-limited, to create a sense of “buying pressure” on players.
The APEX were, as Massively writes, stable until now and were never significantly discounted. That something like this just “comes out of nowhere on a Monday” surprises even this YouTuber:
Such a thing has never happened, that APEX were discounted in ArcheAge, no matter how much fans demanded it.
Flash Sale, Sale here, Sale there
This flash sale is only part of a “Sales Offensive” by Trion Worlds. There were also other “Limited Time Sales for Legacy and Fresh Start Servers” offered. Additionally, there is a “Buy One, Get One Yellow Charms” – meaning buy 1, get 2.
Players on reddit view this flood of offers and especially the “Strike now! It could disappear at any time” buying frenzy of ArcheAge critically. There’s a suspicion that Trion Worlds is trying to improve its numbers for the first quarter. Players believe Trion Worlds feels pressure and urgently wants to generate revenue to make its quarterly numbers look better.
It’s difficult to assess this from the outside. ArcheAge is one of the games that have always been critically observed and discussed regarding monetization.
Lantern Festival
Significantly less controversial is the “GeweonidForest Lantern Festival”, which began on March 29. Here, players can complete some quests and earn prizes for tokens.
The event runs until April 19.
