Respawn recently the launched “the biggest” update for Apex Legends which brought in various cosmetics and much-needed content for fans to enjoy. Also, with the latest update, Respawn introduced a new event named “Iron Crown”.
Just after the launch of the Iron Crown event, several players reported it was “predatory” as the rewards were locked behind a paywall of $7 packs and needed players to pay up-to $170for a chance to buy the legendary “Bloodhound Heirloom” which would cost an additional $35.
Soon after the release, many players started to make a post on the games official subreddit (r/Apexlegends) and soon the subreddit was flooded with posts where fans called the latest event “pay-2-play” and “disgustingly monetised”.
Respawn was quick to respond and tweaked the event to be “less grindy and monetized”. But even after that attempt players weren’t having enough and didn’t stop with “name-calling and criticism”. Soon the lead developer also joined the conversation on the subreddit and called the players “asshats and freeloaders”, which didn’t go well with the already agitated player base and the situation got out of hand.
On Monday, Respawn CEO Vince Zampella had to step in and apologize to fans via twitter. Although he acknowledged the foul tone of his dev team and apologized for it, but also agreed that things went too far with some fans calling out names and giving death threats to their family members which made some devs to across-the-line and act in that way. He stated that he stands with his team, but the things went too far and had to be stopped somehow.
Lastly, Vince assured that Respawn will still have “open, healthy relationship with our community….” but will ensure to keep it civil and not engage in similar behaviour again. Although the fanbase has calmed down a little, many fans still want Respawn to look over the Microtransactions and lower the prices to make them less predatory.
