Respawn, the team behind Apex Legends, has addressed some player concerns over pricing in a Reddit AMA.
The response came during a Reddit AMA that invited players and fans to ask questions about the game, with several members of Respawn staff replying. Apex Legends’ lead game designers, game writers, and game director were among the selection.
Much of the discussion was centred around monetisation, with players asking why Apex Legends‘ cosmetic items are priced the way they are.
One user pointed out that a single item can sometimes cost the player around $18 (£13), and asked if they had plans to move toward cheaper content. “People want to buy these things,” read the comment, “but it’s hard to justify it or feel good about it”.
In response, Respawn’s Director of Communications, Ryan Rigney, explained that “Pricing is tricky and something we think about constantly”. He went on to say that “as much as people think we can turn cosmetics out easily because our competition outputs content at a high rate, our team is much smaller and spends more time on our skins.”
He continued: “The part of the equation people miss is the expense side of the people we have working on these things and the fact that we can’t work 24/7. It’s more expensive than people think in terms of number of people and hours because people don’t factor in tons of back and forth on concept, QA, ideation, creation, etc.”
Rigney concluded his answer by saying that the team try and “serve as many players as we can” and are trying many things to see what works. He also cited Apex Legends’ Prize track system as a way of attaining high-value rewards for free.
“There’s a lot players want from the Apex Universe, there’s a lot we want to give, but we can’t do that unless we’re a healthy business at the end of the day,” he added. “New game modes, maps, and features all come at a cost we’re trying to support”.
Apex Legends recently released their Legacy Update, introducing new champion Valkyrie, and a brand-new 3v3 Arena mode.
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