The survival MMO H1Z1 is constantly facing accusations that it is Pay2Win. Meanwhile, the developers wash their hands in innocence.
The zombie MMO H1Z1 and the studio Sony Online Entertainment can emphasize as often as they want that players cannot buy anything directly in the cash shop that impacts their survival; the media suspects the worst. Now there is a report from the site VG 24/7, claiming such a “money for better chances” Pay2Win system exists. German gaming sites also refer to the source and quote it.
Accusations that Air-Drops are clearly Pay2Win
What is the accusation? The Air-Drops we introduced on Friday would appear regularly and drop their package. There would then be a bloodbath around the package. The winner of the battle, the one who gets to the box first, can only loot the package if he pays for it. That would be Pay2Win in the purest sense, which VG 24/7 wants to sell to us here – it brings to mind the worst excesses of mobile games. The concept stands in stark contrast to everything the H1Z1 team has said about the game and the payment model.
How good that there’s nothing to it. And how good that such an idea was not mentioned at all during the presentation of the Air-Drops in the live stream.
As made clear in an interview on YouTube, the Air-Drops are still in an extremely early stage. They were only finished just in time for SOE Live at the beginning of last week. No one knows how the process will be in the finished game in a few months, as H1Z1 is not even in Early Access yet. Every system is still in flux.
Instead of spending money, better “get really good.”
At the moment, as made clear in the interview, it is exactly the opposite of what the media reports: Players can order the plane with the Air-Drop, and it drops the package after a while in the approximate vicinity of the player. However, they have no guarantee that they can reach the box. Because every player in the area can see the Air-Drop and set out to seize the precious equipment. The developers see the Air-Drop as a way to bring chaos into the game. A kind of “Hunger Games” gift table with extreme time pressure, creating a sense of urgency.
In the video interview after about 3 minutes, the H1Z1 designer Jimmy Whisenhunt is asked: “And what do I do if I spend the money and then someone takes the box from me?” The answer is simple: “Just get really good.”
Fuss about “Morgenlatte” even before SOE Live
Even before SOE Live, the accusation had arisen among excited fans that the game was Pay2Win. Visitors to the events would receive a special club with nails, which is surely much better than a regular club. This club – endearingly nicknamed “Morgenlatte” by the developers – was merely a reskin and did not change the values at all.
My MMO thinks: We are not saying that H1Z1 will never introduce Pay2Win elements. We are just saying: At the moment, there are no signs in that direction, and it is irritating that accusations arise, even though Smedley and his men keep emphasizing that they do not want this at all. It says a lot about the current state and reputation of Free2Play games that one automatically thinks of a Pay2Win scam when hearing Free2Play.
