GamerBraves Newsletter vol. 2 - The Punishing Gray Raven Controversy
A battle for equality amongst gacha gamers
Welcome to the second issue of the GamerBraves Newsletter!
If you read our previous issue, feel free to let us know what you think:
This week, we will be looking at a rather juicy topic that had recently become the talk amongst the mobile gacha game community…
PGR: Punishing Global Region?
Punishing: Gray Raven was THE next big gacha game. In the r/gachagaming subreddit, it was the most talked-about game in the days leading up to its release.
Gameplay-wise, it is similar to MiHoYo’s Honkai Impact 3rd. We even gave it a 9/10 in our review. It really is that fun to play.
On July 16th, and the next few days following its global launch, the playerbase was effectively torn into two. The game was review bombed, lowering its score on the Play Store which was close to 5 stars, down to this:
What happened?
The game is incredibly fun and is almost universally praised for its gameplay. The main problem lied in its monetisation. There were a lot more problems, but for brevity’s sake, I will narrow it down to just this issue.
Essentially, Rainbow Cards (RC for short), the game’s premium currency is sold differently across regions. In China, you could pay 6 yuan (~ 1 USD) for exactly 6 RCs. In global, the equivalent is 0.99 USD for 5 RCs.
This becomes even more apparent in the most expensive purchase options. On average, players who play the Chinese version of the game are paying less for the same amount of RCs.
This led to many players calling out the developer, Kuro Game and publisher, HK Hero Entertainment for this unfair treatment of players. The term, Punishing Global Region was frequently thrown around as a replacement for the game’s acronym, PGR. The community backlash even led to the game’s official discord removing all channels for players to communicate in.
Kuro Game was quick to respond on Twitter, but the damage was already done.
At the time of writing, the game is about to launch its first major event. Its review score has bounced back up and is currently sitting at 4.4 / 5 stars.
While players have fought back and made their voices known, ultimately, it was a poor effort. Those fighting for equal treatment failed to pull the majority to their cause. After all, monetisation aside, players are still having tonnes of fun (myself included).
At the end of the day, games that are released globally will always have different versions, be it censorship, region-exclusive events or monetisation schemes. While fighting for equality is a noble effort, policing of corporations and their practices cannot be easily solved by simple review bombing. Hopefully, future lawmakers and nations can make a better stand for gamers, but until then, just play the games that you find fun.
Censorship and regulation make investors pull out.
The sequel to a fan favourite PlayStation exclusive gets pushed back.
Digimon fans will have waited almost a half a decade if it comes it in Q3 2022.
The latest episode of our podcast sees Wan and Kit delving deeper into video game franchises that went mobile. Will mobile game adaptations ever lose their reputation as cheap cash grabs? Find out more by tuning into the podcast!
Get these games for less:
Arma: III (75% off)
Discounted price: RM 29.75 | Original price: RM 119.00 | Deal lasts until August 10th.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II (50% off)
Discounted price: RM 45.00 | Original Price: RM 90.00 | Deal lasts until August 10th.
BlazBlue Centralfiction (85% off)
Discounted price: RM 11.25 | Original Price: RM 75.00 | Deal lasts until August 10th.
While Digimon Survive’s delay has been a damper for Digimon fans worldwide, the announcement of the new anime series, Digimon Ghost Game has kept the fandom hoping for more. Will it be able to bring something new to the table like Digimon Tamers, or will it flop like the Adventure reboot?
Join us next Wednesday as we predict its chances. We will also be giving away more free video game codes!
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