More and more than ever, we find ourselves constantly looking at the value of cash bundles in Marvel SNAP.
But our story today is more than that. Sadly, the narrative surrounding this topic is becoming both negative and aggressive, which means it’s time to look at why. It started nearly a year ago when we got the first ever “Pro Bundle” (you know, that offer that -never- went away on the Home Screen), and ever since then it has been revisited in conversation every time a bundle appears that’s more than $20 USD. So, let me preface by saying:
- This isn’t going to be a bundle guide that assesses percentages and bundle investment versus return. This is a conversation about who we are as Marvel SNAP players when looking at the Marvel SNAP economy on a very forthright and perceptive level.
- This conversation will not focus on all bundles equally via conversion pricing. I’m not talking about bundles that are available for Gold specifically today. While I recognize that it technically is still a “free” resource, I agree that Gold is now an incredibly slow-accumulating resource ever since the Spotlight Cache changes. But that’s a conversation for a different cocktail and not the point of this article.
- This is an article to, hopefully, guide some of the Marvel SNAP player base into a deeper understanding of some choices that need to be made by all game companies (not just Second Dinner).
- These are my personal analyses and opinions. And if you read this entire article, you’ll understand perfectly why I can confidently say this early in the piece that your opinions of this article do not matter to me. I promise, it’s not mean; it’s just the truth.
The direct question is, “Do I spend my direct dollars on in-game purchases, or not?” Let’s start the conversation by looking at the cash bundles available in Marvel SNAP for July and August:
You can see all the bundles in detail right HERE.
Atlantis Beach Club 9.99
Patriots 19.99
Power to Move You 14.99
Mystery Pack 4.99
Mystery Pack 9.99
Mystery Pack 19.99
Love and Thunder 9.99
Mystery Pack 4.99
Mystery Pack 19.99
Mystery Pack 9.99
Pro Bundle 99.99
Don’t Touch the Ocean 9.99
Mystery Pack 4.99
Heroes for Hire 9.99
Doctor is Tin 19.99
Mystery Pack 19.99
Full Charge 19.99
Death becomes her 74.99
Mystery Pack 4.99
Hail Hydraulics 24.99
Observation: 90% of the cash bundles offered over these 60 days are cheaper than $25.
Here’s the funny thing: More players are negatively affected by sticker shock than we give the player base credit for. The other 10% of the bundle prices stand out so egregiously in comparison to the sum of the whole. Seeing the range of bundle prices jump so drastically (from 24.99 up to 74.99 over this 60-day range from the 85th to 90th percentile) causes those top-end bundles to stand out even more than if they were mixed in with a few $30–$70 bundles.
But…
- Do you remember what one of the last $29.99 bundles we had was? Here’s a hint… It had a 3x value.
- Do you remember when the last $49.99 bundle was? December. And my guess is that it’s for good reason.
The first three months of a game's life after global launch are critically important to analyze. Looking at player trends and purchases is a huge aspect of that. Companies must assess and create more appealing products at more appealing price points, that make people want to spend direct cash in the game rather than just farm and hoard. Hoarding resources tremendously hurts the overall game economy, similarly to how keeping your money in the bank hurts the general public economy versus spending your money. How you choose to use your resources is entirely within your control and discretion, with or without the influence of public opinion. However, a part of the game company‘s job is to look at those spending patterns and find the most appealing ways to make a consumer want to spend their resources consistently.
When looking at the -style- of bundle that is put out most regularly and recently in Marvel SNAP, you can see a pretty clear progressive trend. Marvel SNAP direct purchase consumers are just like O-Town. Why? ‘Cause they want it all, or nothing at all. The evolved pattern research has most likely shown that players are more willing to spend $5–25 or $75–100. Think of it basically as an upside-down bell curve.
Micro-transactions are popular for all the right reasons in mobile gaming. More purchases in smaller quantities of value are perceived as more attainable over the course of a long period of time. However, over that same period of time, one person who is willing to spend $20 five times is just as valuable to a game company as someone who is willing to spend $100 once. So, if those are the two largest markets netting profit, then that’s where the bundle price points will range most consistently.
Analogy Time!
I look at Marvel SNAP bundles similarly to transportation. Everyone has places to go. Sometimes, people take the bus or subway. Sometimes, people have an old, broken-down car. Sometimes, people have a brand new, base-model economy car. Sometimes, people have high end sports cars. Either way, if you told all four of those groups to go from place A to place B via their preferred transportation model, they’d all get there. I wouldn’t judge the person who takes the bus differently from the person who takes the Benz. Nor would I judge car companies for offering a wide variety of price-ranged vehicles to the entire general public for the same purpose. No matter the reason, it’s the consumer's choice to decide the method of transportation that works for them within their lives and needs.
But even FOR that group of Benz owners...
Sure, some of them buy fancy cars without knowing how to drive a stick. Some of them know how to drive, sure, but it’s more about them wanting the “status” associated with owning that “symbol”. Some of them buy the car because they’re investment pieces, and it has nothing to do with driving the car but instead has to do with value in vs. value out over time. And yet, some of them know how to respect the car, the road, and the maintenance, and they save accordingly for their “dream car” for a long time.
So, we now find ourselves in an internal assessment. Who am I in all of this? Where do I stand? Where does all this lead? Keep the analogy going for a minute.
Now, you’re a pedestrian. You’re walking down the road. You see a person drive by in a Benz. First impressions. Go.
“Huh, must be nice.” :person_shrugging:
“Wow, what an a**hole.”
“Man, that’s my dream car! Someday...”
“What a waste of money.”
“Was that a Toyota?…”
Do you know what the driver is thinking?
“I’m driving to where I've gotta go and how I want to get there.”
The pedestrian’s opinion didn’t matter when the driver bought their Benz. It was the driver’s choice, with their reasons justifying their logic using their signature on the contract. Did the car company know how to present a value that looked appealing to the driver? 100%. But that’s just smart business to help entice the consumer based on their wants and needs. So as that pedestrian still stands, I ask you this: Did you think about what type of Benz owner the driver was at all first? Or did you form an opinion without substance first?
End analogy. Back to SNAP.
Whenever I see someone playing Darkhawk and they’re using that “3X Value” variant, I don’t judge them. They chose to buy that bundle because they wanted it. For their own reasons. Not mine. Kudos. However, it’s becoming all too common that players are being assessed negatively for spending their money on things that they like. For example, some people are console video gamers who would prefer to spend $60 on a game that becomes their primary source of entertainment for a period of time that they can revisit. Others find the same joy in spending $300 on a date night out with a loved one. Others may spend $20,000 on a dream trip to Italy. While others get gratification from a $15 specialty ice cream cone from the ice cream truck. Who are we to criticize what makes someone else happy? If the happiness of the consumer is internal, what should our external comparative opinions hold value for? Easy answer: nothing. They don’t matter. What holds value to you will always be different from what holds value to someone else. But most importantly...
We do not have the right to devalue someone else’s happiness as a justification for our unhappiness.
We are a community of gamers. I have watched too many communities dwindle away due to a misguided player base. Note that I’m not saying that this game community is on the brink of extinction. What I am saying is that we all should be respectful of the balance of what a game company does in relation to the happiness of its consumers. This is one of the healthiest development teams and game communities I have seen in a while. Sure, you’re going to have your trolls, but what game doesn’t? But what I’m asking you, the community, is to remember that happiness comes in all different ways, shapes, and forms. Everyone who makes purchases in this game is of an adult-enough mindset to make their own decisions for their own reasons and justifications. This ‘task force’ that is unjustifiably growing in the community and whose goal is to put a stamp of rejection on other players’ decisions, because they differ from theirs, is an unnecessary battle that could grow to an exponentially toxic level. That is not the best representation of what the cumulative player base actually is. Yet, bad news spreads faster than good news.
So, this article is my call to action.
- Remember that Second Dinner is a hospitality-based business first. They only thrive if the majority of consumers are happy. In total, the last year of game progression is proof of concept that the majority is happy. If you’re not, ask why. But for yourself, not for others.
- Not all games are the same. Not all people enjoy Marvel SNAP the same. Not all people play battles in Marvel SNAP the same. Not all people collect cards the same. Not all people care about the variants the same. Not all people share the same opinions as you. Respect those opinions, listen to those opinions, ingest those opinions, adapt to those opinions, and culture yourself with those opinions. When you do, you’ll see more through the eyes of Second Dinner than you did the day before.
- Remember that not everybody is in the same financial situation. Therefore, the value of five dollars to you may be completely different from someone else's for reasons that don’t matter to you. Everyone is allowed to have their own lives and their own successes, and we should not attempt to speak on behalf of a self-created majority based on personal economic status.
- Lastly, and this one rewinds back to another much deeper message, remember the difference between supporting a position and imposing a position. Cash bundles in Marvel SNAP are a nominal part of everyone’s day in this community. Having a healthy conversation about an opinion requires a full understanding of everything above. Closing yourself off to the opinions of others because “you’re wrong” isn’t healthy. But if you are going to have a conversation about economics, remember how much of it you can -actually- have given the amount of data that we all have access to publicly. It is not our job to police Second Dinner. However, it is a healthy part of this community to express yourself in a constructive manner that can be supported with facts and opens the gateway to counterpoint and conversation. So yes, you went into this article thinking that it was mostly about cash bundles and how we perceive them. But I hope you leave this article with a little bit more than that. This conversation can be translated to many other aspects of your daily lives. It’s a message much deeper than Marvel SNAP. What is the meaning of conversation? What are the healthiest ways to have a conversation? And what is the difference between supporting a healthy conversation and negatively imposing an opinion? Keep that in mind when thinking about economics with Marvel SNAP in particular, because we only know as much as we can see. I invite you all to attempt to imagine a fraction of what you don’t know. It’s a scary thought, but a mind-bending one.