Clash Royale?
We’ve all heard Clash Royale. Like Among Us, Clash really needs no instruction.
I started playing Clash of Clans around a few years ago, and then promptly quit when I got a Nintendo and bought Zelda (so sorry if I offended some of you).
So when Clash Royale started picking up speed, I knew I had to do some blog post on this game. And let me tell you, this post spares no sympathy for the game. As a game developer myself who absolutely abhors when big companies try and profit off their audience in excess, I have to say something.
Do I have something to say…and like any gamer, do I got the stats to prove it.
what’s there to prove?
I’m just going to come out and say it.
The game is pay-to-win.
I’m not the only person to think so…in a Royale API discussion, most of the comments’ main addressed concern was how the game was a "cash grab and how the game is “not fun…not fair” (Finnslss).
And if a public forum isn’t your jam, allow me to direct you to a lawsuit against Supercell (the company behind this amazing game) v. T.T.
Allow me to support my fellow gamers. How much slower without purchases compared to with purchases?
I’m going to build off Game Developer’s Post here.
your free gold income clocks in at about 43.5 gold per hour. Suppose a paying player gets double that (just as an example, possible in the game) —> 87 gold in an hour, making progression in the game 2X faster.
to reach level 10, you’d approximately take 270 days playing free, however if you pay and get maybe ~2X gold + resources (basically the above bullet point), you’re going to reach level 10 in ~135 days. 50% faster with purchases than without!
Because resources come in chests and more frequently than gold, if you pay, you get a 5X resource speed.
For very high levels (like level 12) it would take ~1,850 days free, but if paying gives you a 5X resource speed, that time may get cut into ~370 days. You’re 5X slower without paying.
So, general estimate? Without purchases, you’re anywhere from 2X to 5X slower than a well-paying player who is able to invest money. This difference isn’t even in terms of hours or days (which still wouldn’t be acceptable for me), but in years. Here’s some of my own math, building from Game Developer’s post.
if upgrading exacts ~35,000 gold/day, and we get 1,000 gold a day, that of course takes 35 days to upgrade to a new level, however, a playing player who gets ~3,000 gold da day upgrades in just 12 days (approx.) You can upgrade 3X faster if you pay.
in Clash, you get +8% more damage every level up you go, so in level 9 that’s 100 damage, in level ten thats 108 damage, and in level 11 thats 116.64, and level 12 clocks in at approximately about 125.97 (I rounded these numbers to do the rest of the math) but a level 12 card does approximately 26% more damage than a Level 9 card.
This explains why so many players are so annoyed with someone with less skill than them, but more money to pay, winning more matches than them. Of course that would bring down morale!
What am I trying to say? The disparity between someone who pays for the game and someone who does not, is too big.
It’s flat out unfair, and unlike any of the other games that I have seen. Sure, Zelda games cost $50-70, but once you get the game, there is no player skill bell-curve that is influences as heavy as Clash Royale. It’s disappointing to me and a whole army of organizations and gamers to find that, games as our safe space to relax and vibe with people from all walks of life, are starting to exceedingly be monitored and controlled by gaming companies’ greed.
Do better, Supercell.
And for Indie Game Developers, if you want to profit off your game, ask for people to pay on download, unless you want an angered fanbase.
Blanket fort boss out!
