Apex Legends players criticize price of ‘Petty Theft’ Loba Skin Bundle

Apex Legends players have criticized developers Respawn over the price of a new Loba skin bundle, called ‘Petty Theft’, and costing 5,000 Apex Coins. 

While many players have praised Respawn’s colorful and varied skin designs, there have been fairly consistent complaints from players that some in-game cosmetics are over-priced.

Respawn have, in the past, defended the price of skins, saying that: “we think about this constantly and it’s tough because we want Apex to be around for a long time. Us being able to continue to make the game depends on operating a healthy business.” They did, though, acknowledge that getting the balance right is a “tough challenge”.

An upcoming Loba skin bundle, for the Genesis Collection event, has reignited the debate over cosmetic prices. The ‘Petty Theft’ bundle, which includes a skin for the High Society Thief, as well as 7 Event Packs, costs 5,000 Apex Coins.

Although currencies mean exact values can vary, 1,000 Apex Coins cost roughly $10. 5,000 Apex Coins, therefore, costs approximately $50 (roughly £36 or €42).

A number of disgruntled players took to Reddit to criticize the skin bundle for its high price tag. One post called Respawn out for charging $50 for “a skin and some lootboxes”. It quickly garnered significant attention, with just shy of 4,000 upvotes at the time of writing.

Many comments echoed the sentiments of the OP, with one saying: “Collection event prices are so ridiculous.” Another agreed, saying: “The real bullshit is that you can’t buy 5000 coins, so either you spend more or have to do multiple transactions. I’m not going to do either of those anyway, but it’s pretty annoying that they keep doing that.”

However, a number of players pointed out that, compared to the normal prices, the bundle does represent an opportunity to save money. Collection event packs sell for $7 on average, while legendary skins generally sell for just shy of $20. With these figures in mind, the bundle offers roughly $69 of content for $50.

Many also pointed out the 80/20 rule – the idea that game developers make 80% of their money off just 20% of the player base. The argument follows that the more expensive cosmetics are not for every player, just the ones willing to invest their money into the game.

Whether a reshuffle to the store is coming is another matter, but some continue to take issue with the high prices of in-game cosmetics.