Elite Dangerous, the space sim that has been around for nearly a decade, has recently announced a significant change that has upset many of its veteran players: the sale of ships for real money. In a post on the Elite Dangerous website, Frontier, the game’s developer, said that it will be selling three months of early access to the Python Mk II ship for 16,250 ARX, the game’s premium virtual currency, starting from May 7. For those who do not own the Odyssey expansion, they can only access ship variants from the store for ARX.
In addition to the sale of individual ships, Frontier is also selling Pre-Built Ship packages, which include ships that have been upgraded from their base models. According to Frontier, these Pre-Built Ships are intended to be a quicker way for newer players to get involved in the areas they are most interested in, or for existing players who want to try a new career path in-game but don’t have the time to build a new ship from scratch.
However, the sale of ships for real money has not been well-received by the Elite Dangerous community. Many veteran players have accused Frontier of going down the same route as Star Citizen, which has been criticized for its pay-to-win mechanics. Some players have even pointed to a statement that Frontier made in 2019, in which the company said that “ARX can only be used to buy cosmetic Game Extras and will not be used to introduce and acquire pay-to-win purchases.”
Frontier has not yet responded to the backlash from the community, but it is likely that the company will argue that ARX can be obtained through gameplay, and that the sale of ships for real money does not give players an unfair advantage. However, some players are insisting that any advantage, including time saved, should be considered pay-to-win.
The sale of ships for real money is a significant change for Elite Dangerous, and it remains to be seen how the community will react in the long term. However, it is clear that many veteran players are unhappy with the move, and it is possible that it could damage the game’s reputation.
