In the real money shop of the superhero MMORPG DC Universe Online, there was briefly a valuable pack available for far too cheap. However, those who purchased it were permanently banned.
As part of the Halloween event “The Witching Hour,” there was a sale in the DC Universe Online shop with significant discounts. However, the “Atlantean Pack” was accidentally discounted too much: it suddenly cost only 1 Daybreak Cash. Normally, it costs 5,000 Daybreak Cash, for which you have to shell out 45 euros.
What kind of pack is this? The Atlantean Pack is supposed to allow for a comfortable life in Atlantis. It includes some skins inspired by Aquaman. Additionally, there is a Bubble Aura, which makes players permanently look as if they are underwater.
Furthermore, the pack includes 15 Stabilizers, which you can use to open valuable crates, and 100 Source Marks. The latter is used to acquire better equipment.
Players received bans for purchasing the pack
Those who noticed the error naturally seized the opportunity. Some bought multiple copies of the pack. This is particularly worthwhile because the items can be traded in-game. Thus, it causes the most damage to the developers, but also to the in-game economy.
One player requested a rollback, which would have lost the progress of all currently active players. “It’s difficult to undo the damage. We will do what we can,” wrote the community manager of the MMORPG in the forum. “The accounts of many people will be banned (permanently) while we consider further steps,” he continued.
Shortly thereafter, they banned the accounts of players who had purchased multiple packs. A user on Reddit complains about a ban after purchasing several of the packs. He wonders if he will ever be able to play again.
“According to comments on social media and in-game, they only ban people who have purchased multiple packs,” explains user TheOzman79 under the post. Those who received just a single pack due to the error seem safe from a ban. Players who have directly purchased multiple ones and exploited the error to a high degree must expect consequences.
This is how the community reacts: A controversy erupted in further posts in the forum about whether the developers acted correctly. Most players say the blame lies with the developers and they cannot hold buyers accountable for their mistake. Here are a few comments summarizing the dispute:
- Reigning_Chaos: “Imagine punishing buyers for mistakes made by your business. The only punishment should be directed at the employees responsible for the mistake.”
- The_fair_1: “When other companies mess up, they take responsibility and try to fix it for everyone. But DCUO would never do that.”
- Crap zappa: “If a supermarket offers wine for 1 euro, they sell a lot of it. Do you think they would throw customers out, or would they rather look for the employee who set the price and fire him?”
Whether the banned accounts will be unbanned is currently unclear. Of course, we will keep you updated on upcoming updates here on MeinMMO.
What do you think about the error in the cash shop of the MMORPG? Are the developers responsible? Do you think the accounts should be unlocked? Or do you consider the developers’ approach to be correct? Should there have been a rollback instead, or would that have caused even greater damage? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
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