In an industry rife with exploitation, microtransactions, trend-chasing, the list goes on, there are bound to be games which exist for no other purpose than to make a quick buck. This isn’t to be confused with games or DLC that are just plain bad or released when more time and polish was clearly needed. No, we’re talking about the attempts at cash-grabbing that are so blatant as to be sad. Let’s take a look at 15 of the more recent awful attempts.
Destiny 2’s Armor Synthesis
Bungie is no stranger to cash-grab attempts with its Destiny franchise, utilizing FOMO and other tactics to push its seasonal content and microtransactions. Armor Synthesis aka transmog is the most recent example. Since it allows for having the cosmetic appearance of different armor while maintaining one’s stats, transmog is an oft-sought feature in looters and action RPGs. Fans clamored for a long time to see it in Destiny and Bungie finally delivered. See, Armor Synthesis doesn’t simply let you equip any armor piece’s appearance like, say, an ornament. No, you needed to earn Synthstrand first, which is acquired by killing enemies (and was actually revealed to be influenced more by time – regardless of whether you killed one foe or a dozen, you’d earn the same amount each minute). This is then turned into Ada-1 to purchase bounties, which must then be completed to earn Synthchord. When you get Synthchord, you’re permitted transmog currency for ONE armor piece with a cap of 10 pieces or two full armor sets every season. Of course, you could break that cap…by spending real money.
It’s fairly obvious that the Armor Synthesis grind is a means to inflate playtime and turn a quality of life feature into a chore. But capping the amount of Synthchord, simply for the purpose of selling more to earn a quick buck, is just a cash grab, plain and simple. Bungie is removing the Synthstrand requirement when the next season launches in August so it’s somewhat less awful at least.
