I like to think I'm a levelheaded, sometimes snarky, asshat when it comes to how I comment on situations within this blog- only ever rarely spurred to moments of whitehot rage. But the rage does come, never you doubt that! And when I think back to those delightful diatribes into surly snarling- I think back to times when I went in on Apex Legends for the way that they set up their first major play event- which also marked the last time I played that game because I know all too well the road these companies inevitably all go when they start dipping their toes in the wrong pools. I remember it so well because it was there that I issued an theoretical ultimatum- though the team maintained their innocence that the predatory design of the event was purely accidental- it's existence alone was indicative of one of two realities- malice or incompetence.
Now Apex Legends has reared itself into the news cycle once again and I can't help but reflect on that time all those years ago and think about how still true it remains today. Of course the modern situation is slightly different- changes to the battle pass that will cut down the length of seasons by half and demand more out of the premium battle pass whilst limiting the ability to grind your way to getting the new pass; but that same stink of grind lingers on it all- you know? And the question comes- do we attribute this to malice or just incompetence- and it's a real headscratcher for me, I must admit. Once again we sit on the other side of this debacle- somewhat- and in that I think we have a little elucidation on the topic, but I want to rewind back to the complaint itself for a wee sec.
So seasons would be split in two- one and a half month long each branches, and players would have to pay their way into the premium stage of both passes if they wanted everything or just endure the free track. Of course, there was also the new stage of premium but we'll put that aside for now. What we have here, in my opinion, is a red herring. Starting with the incompetence argument- you would have to be absolutely space-bound, out of this planet and solar system, not to predict a backlash for slapping down a change like that. After months of fan complaining about low effort Battle Passes, this addresses none of their concerns and asks for more of their time and money- you might as well spit on them and call their mother mean names in the process- it was never going to go down well!
But if we approach this from a malice angle- then we get more interesting results. More money is the goal- considering that EA and EA Sports split earlier this year, EA properties just like Apex can no longer rest behind the infinite profits of the sports games and now they have to actually prove they need to exist. Double charging is an old reliable but far too volatile to be accepted by the audience- but increase people's playtime within your universe and that deepens their likelihood of spending money on your crap. Afterall, it's the only thing they'll have time to play anymore, given that they've only got one and a half months to grind through your battle pass- might as well spend that money you would have slipped into the pockets of other similar titles on your one true love, right? Thus I see a red herring.
How does the needle get moved towards the anti-consumer direction in this, highly scrupulous, industry? You set up a patsy pawn that draws the ire of everyone and then sneak in your real goal behind that- soak up the damage with a "we're sorry, we'll listen now" statement and giggle to yourself as people don't realise you encroached just that little bit into their land. EA have pulled back on some of the double-monetisation of the Battle pass. You can still grind enough credits in one pass to pay for the next like it always was... but seasons will still be one and half months long going forward. A genre already criticised for stealing time is now trying to steal even more.
See, I'm rarely a believer in the 'useful idiot' syndrome. I think it is excessively rare to find someone so idiotic that they just stumble into pro-corporate anti-consumer positions totally on accident repeatedly- and if that person is real, they should have a reality show on TV because they sound like a riot to watch. What's much more likely is that lines are being pushed further and further and someone is being set up as a patsy to feign ignorance. And if you're calling me a conspiracy theorist and wondering where the potential cause for such a twist in fortunes lies- let me remind you once again: EA are currently really looking to up their books after losing the safety net that was EA Sports. Apex Legends isn't currently growing, it's player base is getting restless about supposed cheating and poor season passes- so now is the time to dig in the claws.
Where I think the team might have messed up is in the whole 'eyes bigger than your hands' situation when it comes to monetisation. A smart move would have been to revert back to the paid model that things used to reside in so that players can fool themselves into accepting a pyrrhic victory; but EA want to have and eat that cake in the same swoop. Sure, now you can buy Ultimate battle passes with ingame currency like always- but you can't buy the 'Ultimate +' one with ingame currency! (Yes, they literally called it 'Ultimate +', because apparently we live in a South Park skit.) That is a extra tier remaining in the new deal with direct money purchases only and a smattering on unique rewards- not just tier skips! Because they want you to be comfortable with no longer being able to earn your next battle pass. Ain't they just sweethearts?
I had to cover this one again just to smack down the 'we're silly billies who never meant any harm' fallacy. People that stupid would never have made it to the positions that they have, and that they think their audience complacent and dumb enough to buy their drivel should be taken as the highest possible insult. I don't care too much because I jumped out of that pot before they even lit the pilot light- but if those who remain really think they can take the heat I just hope they are prepared as the situation slowly becomes worse and worse. Take the lesson that the inflation of economy was born to teach us all- things never get better, they just deteriorate slightly slower sometimes.
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