All’s fair in love and battle royale
Seeing as how Apex Legends launched less than two weeks ago, Valentine’s Day is the first chance we get to see how Respawn’s free-to-play battle royale handles seasonal and special events. If Valentine’s Day is indicative of the model for future events, players are going to have to fork over some money if they want to spread some holiday cheer.
Apex Legends has three Valentine’s Day cosmetics available now through February 19. Earning one of them is simple enough. Anyone can get the Live Die Live badge by reviving another player during a game. That’s easy, and most people won’t have to go out of their way to nab it. Upping a downed teammate should come naturally.
However, the other two can only be obtained by spending Apex Coins which is the currency that requires real money. There’s a Through the Heart skin for the Longbow and a Love of the Game banner for Pathfinder. Each one costs 1,100 Apex Coins (which is $11 because 1,000 Apex Coins are bundled for $10). They’re conveniently priced so that buying both of them comes out to $30 spent because there’s no option to buy fewer than 1,000 Apex Coins.
Although much of the cosmetic system is rooted in Overwatch-style loot boxes, the events are more akin to Fortnite. Shell out a fixed amount, here’s the skin you want. (Also, it might be something of a necessity in order to circumvent any loot box/gambling issues EA might run into.) Fortnite can get away with charging $20 for character costumes. And while $11 for a weapon skin seems excessive, Apex Legends is popular enough right now that it’s an appealing offer for some players. Free-to-play games have to make money, too.
