Destiny: Bungie lenkt ein, aber verschenkt nix: 20$-Extra-Paket bringt digitale Collector’s-Inhalte

In the MMO shooter Destiny , Bungie has now responded to fan criticism by offering the digital items of the Collector’s Edition for purchase separately.

Players had complained that to access special digital items, they had to purchase the “Collector’s Edition for $80,” which included the base game and the two DLCs they already owned. When asked whether it would be possible to offer these items separately, a Bungie employee replied: “Anyone who wants the digital content of the Collector’s Edition can have it; they just need to buy the Collector’s Box.”

And with this statement, a shitstorm began, which after nearly 72 hours prompted a response from Bungie.

Smith: “I sounded like an ass”

Initially, the spokesperson of this statement apologized. Those who knew him, according to Luke Smith, would know that he was direct, had edges and corners, and tended towards sarcasm. However, for most who would have read the interview, he was a stranger.

And if he imagined any developer talking about a game that mattered to them in such a way, he would also think: “What an ass.” But this time, that ass was himself. And he deeply regretted it, explained Game Director Smith, whose interview with Eurogamer had triggered angry fan reactions, a lot of criticism from the media, boycotts, petitions, and the calling of Taylor Swift.

$20 for shaders, emotes, and class items

The “digital content of the Collector’s Edition,” which was previously reserved for veterans, is now available in a special bundle for $20. This includes three armor shaders, three special emotes, and three class items.

Now, it is enough to purchase the “$40” expansion and this $20 package to at least be “digitally” on the same level as buyers of the $80 box or the $80 digital Collector’s Edition. The physical Collector’s Edition itself includes many other “tangible” items, which are not available this way.

What’s special about the digital items?

Even though the conversation with Eurogamer mainly revolved around emotes, i.e., gestures, (If I could show them to you now, you’d be throwing money at the monitor). Most guardians are likely hot for the exclusive class items.

These class items were previously purely cosmetic (for the hunter, for example, it was a cloak). They did not affect gameplay. With “The Taken King,” that will change. Class items can now also gain values and abilities, as Bungie states. The three here are supposed to grant an experience bonus and are suitable for “fresh guardians” or new subclasses to level up faster.

With “The Taken King,” there will be more special class items and emotes.

Veterans get additional goodies

Veterans who have been in the game for a year will be rewarded further. With these shaders, the Sparrow, and the emblem. They are included with the “digital The Taken King” expansion. Additionally, it will soon be revealed what else has been prepared for veterans. They should feel like “VIPs” in the game, considering all they have done for the Tower.

Expensive gesture of reconciliation

Mein MMO says: Effectively, this changes nothing for most players. Many will continue to purchase the digital expansion for $40, and that will be that. Those who really want the three “digital status symbol” items can now pay $60 instead of buying the physical Collector’s Edition for $80 and receiving “tangible” gimmicks and a nice box.

For $40, they get the expansion (with digital items). The “somewhat more exclusive” other digital items will cost another $20.

However, it may be that the “price gap” is significantly larger for us Germans. Here, the box Collector’s Edition is more expensive and costs around 100 Euros. Here, most would probably have ordered the “digital Collector’s Edition” for 80 Euros. Compared to the “digital Collector’s Edition,” the new $40 + $20 package is simply 20 stones cheaper. Comparing these versions shows a “significant improvement.”

Nevertheless: This is precisely the “dangerous path to microtransactions,” that has been feared. That digital items, which essentially “have no real value,” are put on a price tag. This is a path that some games are taking. To “truly have everything there is,” a financial extra effort is required, which is disproportionate to what one pays for actual gameplay content. In this case, fans literally begged for it to be offered this way.

But oh well – those who really want these digital contents “save” $20 compared to buying the “digital Collector’s Edition.” However, the price for this supposed exclusivity is pretty steep.