Micro-transactions, seemingly small in-game purchases to progress you further in a game or elevate the game’s appearance, have crept their way into every game. Perhaps the most prominent instance of this was Fortnite’s Battle Pass, which seemed to revolutionize the gaming industry at the time. Though not the first to do this, Fortnite’s incredible popularity enlightened gaming companies all over the world which capitalized on cosmetics and game progression. One game, like many others, followed suit: Clash Royale.
Clash Royale did not follow the standard route in terms of purchasable cosmetics in their form of micro-transactions; rather, they implemented in-game purchases that would progress players further. For instance, the in-game shop features purchasable wild cards, evolutions, and more. While seemingly insignificant, purchasing these items makes it significantly easier to win games.
Micro-transactions and pay-to-win elements have always been a part of Clash Royale, but the newest update has pushed the player base to the edge. The new update brought up a new concept called Heroes. The Heroes allow normal cards to get another form, giving them each a different ability. Sounding familiar to Clash Royale player base, the whole concept of Heroes is based on their already implemented evolutions. While it may have been a lazy attempt to add new content, the Heroes themselves were not an issue. The issue derives from the paywall they are hidden behind. Like the evolutions, Heroes are locked behind “Clash Pass,” Supercell’s version of a Battle Pass. With no other way to obtain Heroes, free-to-play players are left with an update that is completely inaccessible.
Besides Heroes, Level 16 was also implemented. To provide some context, the level cap for cards has always been increased over time, previously being Level 15, to which many players were already disheartened. For free to play players, this was catastrophic. It meant that their cards would under-leveled for copious amounts of time due to the difficulty of reaching such a high level.
Although I personally enjoy the addition of Heroes and evolutions, they seem to be very inaccessible. Also, the same cards that received heroes already had Evolution variants, making it redundant to include heroes for those cards. As a player who happens to spend money on the game, I find it too hard to keep up, even as an avid Supercell customer. In fact, I had previously spent $20 to upgrade multiple cards to Level 15, the max level at the time. Fast forward 2 months later, and I find myself debating if I want to spend more money to reach the newly-implemented Level 16. My patience continually wears thin as it seems more and more in-game purchases are added to the shop everyday.
While the addition of more micro-transactions is incredibly frustrating, Supercell’s constant attempt to revamp the game is almost just as infuriating. The so-called updates are just money grabs hidden behind a flashy and re-skinned concept. Aside from the inclusion of Heroes and the upgraded Level 16, Supercell’s lack of tournaments and events is concerning. In the past, tournaments and events gave all players a chance to earn rewards that would help their decks with a variety of rewards. I often found myself playing in these events and tournaments, using the influx of rewards to level up my cards. Without this, my in-game progression was severely stunted, another way Supercell managed to silently promote their micro-transactions and mask their greed.
“I’ve only ever spent $6 on this game. I don’t even have a full Level 15 deck and now they have Level 16. I’ve been playing this game since middle school and my cards aren’t even at the highest level,” senior Muhammaed Ibrahim. “I don’t think I’ll get level 16 or heroes if I don’t drop some money on this game. I used to hate the idea of spending money on a game, but now I might have to.”
This update, to put it simply, was a cash grab. While Clash Royale is perhaps one of the most entertaining and enduring mobile games of our time, its long-lasting time on the app store has showcased Supercell’s increasing greed. When it first started off, it was clear that Supercell was benefiting from the increased popularity of the game, and yet they still decided to implement pay-to-win features. Supercell’s update unveiled the company’s never-ending greed, something that I believe will, in the end, only drive players away.
