Respawn responds as Apex Legends players criticize new “greedy” bundle rule
Respawn EntertainmentSome Apex Legends players have been locked out of buying new bundles in the in-game shop due to a new rule due to already owning a “core item” in it. Now, Respawn has responded to criticism — and already made one change — after players called the practice “greedy”.
Across all the latest Apex Legends events, including the current Bloodhound “Old Ways, New Dawn” story, players get access to special bundles in the in-game shop.
Not only do they feature previously-released Legend and weapon skins, but sometimes there’s charms and packs thrown on top, making for a great deal. However, as part of the new shop rotation, players were blocked from buying some bundles for purely owning the Legend.
On September 29, the White Lightning bundle in the Apex Legends shop was locked for most players purely for the fact they owned Octane. A notice when trying to buy the item said “core item already owned”.
Respawn acknowledged it was a mistake, and quickly fixed the bundle to allow players to buy it even if they owned Octane.
However, technical game designer ‘RobotHavGunz’ told players that future bundles might not be available to players if they own certain parts of it.
“There will still be some of these types of bundles where a ‘core’ item may be something you already own and which will disqualify you from a bundle you’d like,” they said on Reddit.
This is the case with Loba’s current Torrent bundle. The 2,000 Apex Coins bundle features the Torrent Loba skin and the Bronze Age R-301 skin from the Fight Night event.
If players own either one, they cannot take advantage of the current bundle in the shop which also has two packs and a bonus charm.
“In the case of the Octane bundle, we did not mean for owning Octane (the character) to prevent purchasing the bundle. In the case of the Loba bundle, the exclusivity was intentional,” RobotHavGunz said.
Apex Legends players have called the policy ‘greedy’, stating Respawn should just offer a discount for the bundle rather than gate players from purchasing it.
RobotHavGunz stressed they are “only one of several people who can — from a technical capability standpoint — make certain changes,” but will pass on player feedback to developers responsible for the locked bundles.