Blue Archive is a gacha game that is a bit mixed in terms of public perception. While the game is successful and fun for a lot of people, some people have the misconception that it’s a GOONER game. The term gooner is given to someone who lusts over a video game’s roster of characters. Whether you like the game or not, there has been trouble in the waters, and that is because Blue Archive hired a former EA EXECUTIVE.
Who is this executive and why is it a problem?
Former EA executive Patrick Söderlund was named chairman of Nexon last July of this year. So why is this a bad thing, you may ask? Patrick has been known for some very bad takes back when he was at EA. He was famous for the quote “Don’t like it? Don’t buy it” back when Battlefield V was drowned in negativity and controversy.
EA as a company itself isn’t under the best light. They are often memed as one of the greediest video game companies with the constant microtransactions. Take a look at Star Wars Battlefront 2; that game was dunked on by a lot of people. Regardless, Patrick hasn’t been that severe in terms of how bad he is. You can’t blame Blue Archive players for being worried, though.
Why are people worried?
Blue Archive fans are right to be worried because Patrick was a part of EA, where their greed was tremendous. They’re worried that the game may suffer in quality, such as censorship and other things. It already got a questionable update when it comes to the game’s pity or pull system, and some think it’s a bad move, but is it?
How the pull system changed
The old system could essentially be summarized as
200 pulls = featured student guaranteed through spark.
The new system is closer to
100 pulls = 3-star guaranteed, but the featured student only has a 50% chance of being that 3-star.
200 pulls = featured student guaranteed.
Therefore, the biggest change isn’t that Blue Archive completely removed its 200-pull pity. It changed what happens at 100 pulls, introducing an earlier guaranteed 3-star while making the first guarantee less certain for players specifically targeting the rate-up student.
How does this greatly affect the game?
For players who carefully save Pyroxenes for specific students, the change is significant because 100 pulls no longer represents a reliable stopping point for getting the featured character. A player can reach the new 100-pull guarantee, receive an off-banner 3-star, and still need to continue pulling. Someone who wants absolute certainty therefore still needs to be prepared for the full 200 pulls.
That is why the change was interpreted by many players as a potential increase in the resources needed to reliably target a specific student, even though the game also introduced mechanics intended to compensate for some of the frustration.
Final Remarks
Some people have claimed that this is actually a good change, but they are still worried about the game’s future. Nexon already doesn’t have that good of a reputation, and now they add someone who used to work for EA. Right now, it seems there’s nothing to worry about, but who knows.
