“Clash Royale” burst onto the mobile gaming scene in 2016 as a card-based game with colorful animations and an engaging reward system. The mobile game is a Player vs Player (PvP) format, where players can build decks with different warriors. Elixir is used to place the cards on the map, where the warriors aim to destroy the opposing three towers of the opponent.
The game amassed a player base of millions through its progression system with trophies and in-game rewards. The game was easy to make progress in through the short two minute matches. However, over the years, “Clash Royale” has left behind its free-to-play audience with the new pay-to-win systems ingrained into the progression and the newfound excess of added features, which encourage spending.
“Clash Royale” has a set progression system, where players receive trophies for winning matchups, up until the 9000 mark, when the game is effectively complete. However, the developers have increasingly added ‘pay-to-win’ updates in the game, where it became nearly impossible for a free-to-play player, who will not spend money, to reach the endpoint.
“You can basically pay to get coins and gems and essentially overpower your characters, if you have enough money of course,” sophomore Pranav Prasath said.
‘Pay-to-win’ players will always have an edge over their free-to-play counterparts because the money they spend on the game makes their characters significantly more upgraded. This means that free-to-play users are unable to break through the imaginary threshold the game sets for them, pressuring them to also become ‘pay-to-win’ players.
Not only that, the increasing features to compensate for the dwindling popularity of “Clash Royale” have had the opposite effect: they have made the game even more difficult for the average non-paying customer. The news features provide yet another area where money needs to be spent for meaningful progression, and the cluttered user interface (UI) is overwhelming. Mobile games are meant for people to spend a few minutes on to relax and destress; the game and its developers have strayed away from the main point.
“They’ve added too many new features to the game, and it’s gotten way too confusing,” Prasath explained.
For example, evolutions are regular cards that players can improve by buying coins, tying into the ‘pay-to-win’ aspect as well as slowing down progression for everyone. These new, often overpowered warriors in the game make it increasingly difficult to keep up with the best of the best. The game requires hours of time and effort to make meaningful progress, something which is not typically asked of players in mobile games. These new features make the game more confusing but also make the ‘pay-to-win’ format all but necessary to progress.
“Clash Royale” has had a fall from grace since being one of the biggest mobile games since 2016. When “Clash Royale” was first created, it was hailed for being fair to all players; as the years since its release have gone on, the developers have tailored the game to a ‘pay-to-win’ audience who are willing to use real money to progress through the game, driving away some of their core audience in favor of money.
