Disney Speedstorm players have grown upset at developer Gameloft after it announced the premium track of its battle pass can only be purchased with real money going forward.
Players could previously spend tokens earned through gameplay on the battle pass, called the Golden Pass in the Mario Kart-esque racer, but as Gameloft announced in a community update, this would no longer be the case as of Season 7, which is expected to begin sometime in April 2024.
Disney Speedstorm is a free-to-play game, but players looking to earn the premium battle pass rewards must now spend $9.99 of real money to do so. Akin to most battle passes available today, a free track which requires no additional spending is also available.
Much frustration comes from players who’ve been around since the beginning of Disney Speedstorm and bought Founder’s Packs to gain early access to the game alongside various other benefits like a hoard of tokens. IGN has asked Gameloft for comment.
“I bought two Founder’s Packs, one on Steam and the other on the Microsoft Store,” said BellMellor on Reddit. “My idea was to have enough tokens to buy season passes for at least one year and a half. Now they’ve breach what they promised, saying we would be able to buy season pass with those tokens, and since they are breaking their agreement, shouldn’t we be able to ask for a refund? I mean, what I bought is not what they sold me anymore.”
Gameloft did make clear across several instances of its own content, like its support page and its early access FAQ, that tokens could be used to purchase the battle pass premium track and even the more expensive tier, which lets players skip several levels. This information is still live on both Gameloft’s website and the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store where tokens can be purchased.
“Tokens are an in-game currency that can be earned for free by achieving goals in the game or by being purchased using real-world money,” the description across multiple sites reads. “They are not season-based and can be accumulated. They can also be used to obtain items in the shop, buy the Golden Pass, skip Golden Pass tiers, and much more.”
It’s worth noting this information is still correct until Season 7 arrives later in April, though none of the mentioned sources indicate any change is coming.
“I’ve been a player since the free to play launch,” wrote ArfenZard on Reddit. “I’ve hung on for dear life through all the bad decisions since then because at its core this game is great. The latest news though… Unless something gives at some point before or during the next season I think it will be my last.”
They continued: “I’m never gonna fork out actual cash for something that has been directly taken away from me and anyone who does is actively paying to help the demise of the game.”
Myriad similar complaints have appeared all over the internet, and Disney Speedstorm’s Steam reviews have taken a hit too. “The gameplay isn’t too bad, not perfect but a solid 7/10,” wrote one user. “Everything else is god awful. I have never known of a game to be so predatory with it’s micro-transactions.”
Another added: “Incredibly greedy company. Monetization gets worse and worse. They have no respect for their players and don’t care about making a great game or experience. As someone who has always been a big Disney fan, this game makes me less likely to purchase Disney products going forward.”
Monetization has been long considered an issue in Disney Speedstorm, even appearing as a major factor in IGN’s 5/10 early access review of the game in April 2023. “Disney Speedstorm is a fundamentally good kart racer currently buried beneath so much gacha garbage and so many currencies that it almost seems like a parody of the entire free-to-play genre,” we said.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
