Yesterday, Marvel Snap was updated and for the most part, the update was well received. The new token system is in and some small quality-of-life changes have been added. Good stuff! But when players opened the store after the patch they saw a big ol’ banner for a new $US100 (that’s converted to around $AU147 but we will update this when we find out Aussie prices) bundle. And while it isn’t the worst thing ever, it was for many, myself included, a grim reminder that, yeah, this is still a free-to-play mobile game…
For those who might have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, Marvel Snap is a new mobile card game developed by Second Dinner, a new studio from former Hearthstone boss Ben Brode. Marvel Snap is all about speed, random chaos, and quick matches. Decks only contain 12 cards and games only go about 6 rounds. It’s a fantastic game and easily one of the best digital card games out there in 2022. It also has won over many thanks to its non-predatory microtransactions and in-game store. But, a new expensive store bundle is a good reminder that even a game as nice as Marvel Snap is still ready and willing to take all your money.
On November 29, Marvel Snap’s latest update went live. Many had been waiting for this patch as this is when the game’s already-announced token shop would go live, adding a new and more reliable way to farm for certain cards. But when I hopped into the store this morning to check out the Token Shop, I instead found a giant ad for a $US100 ($139) in-game bundle. The bundle includes a new Apocalypse variant, a new avatar icon, 155 boosters to upgrade that new variant, 3000 collector tokens, and 9,500 credits.
Now, to be clear, in terms of what you get for your cash this bundle isn’t horrible. In fact, the credits alone would cost you around $US100 in real money to buy. (Though credits are fairly easy to grind, so why you would even buy that many is another question…) And sure, the new variant looks cool too, and 155 boosters and all those credits will let you upgrade it very fast. So, value-wise, this bundle isn’t too outrageous. But the fact that Marvel Snap has been—up until this point—mostly devoid of these kinds of bundles means that its sudden appearance in the store is a reminder that even a nice game like Snap will still sell you $US100 worth of shit.
The community response to the bundle isn’t too vitriolic, with many players reacting more with confusion or amusement at seeing such a pricey ad appear in the game. Again, Marvel Snap’s general lack of predatory microtransactions and pay-to-win nonsense has likely made it easier for folks to stomach this out-of-place bundle. But I doubt this is the last pricey bundle we’ll see in Snap, and while I don’t expect Second Dinner to ever sell new cards in any of these possible future bundles, I’m still a bit bummed to see this kind of stuff in the game at all. I guess the beloved Marvel superhero Superman was right: “No one stays good in this world.”
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