DC Legends – Gems/Hero Fragments
Mobile games have always had a problem when it comes to DLC, but the recently released DC Legends may be the biggest offender in recent memory. In order to unlock new characters such as Superman, Batman, or Deadshot, players need to either earn Hero Fragments or purchase them via gems which is one of DC Legends’ in-game currencies. Each character has a set number of Fragments needed before they can be obtained, which can be a grind if you want more popular DC superheroes. This can cost players over $25 just to obtain a single hero if they decide to buy a character that’s on sale.
However, unless a character is on sale, users will need to purchase Premium Bundles which don’t guarantee a hero of any kind and will typically just give players a random assortment of Hero Fragments. This can lead to a ton of frustration as users could spend buckets of cash without ever getting a character to play with. The fact that this entire game is based around having stronger and stronger heroes, having them locked behind a paywall can easily stunt anyone’s progress if they’re not willing to pay.
DLC is meant to enhance the experiences of games, but developers need to recognize what a fair price is for their additional content. Locking content that can have a drastic effect on the gameplay itself is unfair to the consumers and these four titles are perfect examples of this practice. While 2016 had some superb expansions released, there have been cracks in the armor that shows just how important balancing price and content is.
