The new Nexus update for Marvel SNAP will mean that players will need to spend hundreds of dollars to get all the cards they desire.
Marvel SNAP‘s latest update is causing fan outrage due to perceived predatory microtransactions.
The collectable card game recently introduced “Nexus events” which add new cards into circulation every two weeks. These cards are only available in limited edition card packs that players can purchase using in-game currency. Fans are already expressing dismay at the low acquisition rate for new cards. They feel they should pay real money in order to have a better chance of hitting lucky.
Fans have pointed out the odds of earning one of the pack’s “super rare” cards sit at around 1.5 percent. This means players will have to buy and open 200 packs to earn all possible new cards and their variants. When the cost of each pack (180 in-game gold) is multiplied by the number of packs required (200), it works out that players must spend 36,000 gold if they want to add everything to their collection. Considering it costs $100 to purchase 8,000 gold, the real-world cost of buying all the new content comes to $450 per event. New packs will release bi-weekly, meaning the real total players must shell out is $900 per month.
The uproar is striking Marvel SNAP as it begins to roll out to players worldwide, having soft-launched in May with a closed beta available only in select countries. The game features a sprawling collection of classic characters from the Marvel comics, and it was said in the game’s initial reveal that all cards would be accessible without microtransactions with a system much like those of Marvel Strike Force or Marvel Contest of Champions. Gameplay-wise, Marvel SNAP differs from competitors like Hearthstone by opting against a turn-based approach. To gain control over three locations on the battlefield, players instead lay cards down in a “free-for-all”.
It’s not the first time this year that fans have been vocal about perceived pay-to-win systems. Activision-Blizzard received widespread criticism from players after the release of its free-to-play mobile title Diablo Immortal when they deduced that it would cost anywhere between $60,000 and $110,000 to complete the game’s inventory of rewards. Regular grinding was not an option for many of the best weapons in the game, which left players short on cash and with little to no advantage.
Marvel SNAP is developed by Nuverse and is available now on mobile and PC.
Source: YouTube, via Twitter
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