Apex Legends dev says players angry with monetization should protest “with their wallets”

An Apex Legends developer recently addressed monetization concerns and suggested that players start protesting with their wallets.

Free-to-play games must walk a fine line between sustaining the model and providing value to those who invest money in the experience.

Even the best F2P titles occasionally falter on this front, and Apex Legends is no exception. Since 2019, Apex Legends events and recolor releases have caused fury due to the cost of certain microtransactions.

This criticism continues to plague the shooter, but developers argue that players have a say in deciding what does and doesn’t work. Sometimes, however, verbal protests simply don’t get the point across.

Apex Legends devs address ongoing monetization concerns

In an interview with Dexerto, Game Director Steven Ferreira and Senior Design Director Evan Nikolich spoke about the criticism leveled against Apex Legends’ in-game purchases.

The pair specifically tackled complaints about recolors and collection events, some of which spawned following a Season 15 collection event rewarding players with a recolor instead of the usual heirloom or mythic skin. According to the lead developers, the team has heard these objections “loud and clear.”

But social media feedback isn’t enough, Nikolich added. The designer noted, “we want people to feel good about the money they spend, to feel good to get something new, not cheap.”

As such, he thinks players should express their concerns verbally and by voting “with your wallets – don’t spend money if you don’t want the item.”

Nikolich’s comment suggests Respawn, like countless other companies, pays close attention to purchasing data when deciding on content releases.

Still, it’s a good reminder that buying items you aren’t interested in constitutes a prime example of sending the wrong message.