While many Western players have boycotted the $450 Faker bundle in League of Legends, its sales in the Eastern regions are reportedly skyrocketing. But players believe it’s a good thing for the game overall.
A player on Reddit sparked a discussion in the community on June 24 after saying, “Milking the whales is fine and healthy for the game.” They see it as a win-win situation, with Riot Games making money from whales while not impacting casual players.
“These are products that are very clearly made for whales. Riot said so multiple times. They are the LoL-Equivalent of some €3000 gucci handbag. If you’re rich you get to buy cool pointless shit, thats just how life goes,” the player wrote.
They also pointed out dozens of free-to-play games are actually pay-to-win. With that in mind, expensive useless cosmetics are a preferable model for almost all players, no matter the pricepoint.”
Many players agreed but pointed out two scenarios they wouldn’t want to see in League. In the first one, they don’t want to see Riot making expensive skins only for the so-called “whales” who can afford them. Fortunately, this isn’t likely to happen anytime soon since new skins release with every patch.
In the second scenario, they don’t want exclusive skins to have in-game advantages. This hasn’t happened yet, and it doesn’t seem it will either.
On the other hand, some players disagreed with the author of the discussion and explained why they felt that way. One of the top comments pointed out how Riot is ripping people off by making expensive bundles yet failing to make sufficient changes to gameplay. “So there’s a 500 dollar skin now in the game and it’s making the company a lot of money but they still can’t get a Shyvana rework done. We shall see what the impact is but it leaves a sour taste in my mouth,” one player said.
Either way, the release of Faker’s Hall of Legends bundle was met with a backlash, so it’s interesting to see whether it affects future Riot marketing and sales.
