Apex Legends devs respond to “pay to win” Flatline skin in Sun Squad Collection Event

Ryan Lemay
Sun Squad Event in Apex Legends.

Apex Legends players thought they discovered a leg-up by purchasing a Flatline skin with improved iron sights, but Respawn acted quickly.

On March 28, the Sun Squad Collection Event added a new limited-time mode, a slew of new Legendary swimsuit skins to Apex Legends, and other cosmetic items for legends like Fuse and Mirage. The event runs through April 11, and the skins will be available in packs in the store weekly.

The Flatline received a new Legendary skin, transforming the popular weapon into a super soaker. An amazing design drew community members in, and players discovered an extra added bonus. The Splash Zone skin redesigned the Flatline’s iron sights, which provided a better sight line than the base model design.

Frustrated players slammed the developers for locking an improved sight behind a paywall, forcing Respawn to respond and adjust accordingly.

Respawn reverts Splash Zone flatline iron sight

Splash Zone Flatline skin in Apex LegendsApex Legends players took issue with the new Flatline skin’s iron sight.

On March 28, Respawn announced, “the Splash Zone Flatline skin is currently missing a piece from its iron sights, making it appear smaller than it should be. In a future patch, we’ll update it to match its intended design.”

Previously the iron sights had a clear sight line, but the new update will add an extra piece that constricts visibility.

Apex Legends community members slammed the developers for changing a skin after players already purchased it. Others asked why couldn’t the better iron sights just become the Flatline’s default sight.

Players voiced their frustrations on Reddit. “Hear me out. Just make all Flatline iron sights look like this.”

Some users implied that the developers intentionally made the Flatline change, knowing players would purchase it. “They knew exactly what they were doing with this one.”

That opinion received some pushback, as a super soaker design would have attracted people anyways. “I mean, a flatline that looks like a super soaker is pretty awesome skin, regardless!”

Respawn did not provide a timeline for when the sight will be changed. We will provide an update when the iron sights are reverted.

About The Author

Ryan is a former games writer for Dexerto. Ryan graduated from Ithaca College in 2021 with a sports media degree and a journalism minor. He gained experience as a writer for the Morning Times newspaper before joining Dexerto as a games writer. He mainly writes about first-person shooters, including Call of Duty and Battlefield, but he is also a big FIFA fan.