According to Kotaku, Arc Raiders players are revolting over a $10 cosmetic helmet for a menu chicken named Scrappy. The diving helmet cosmetic costs 700 Raider Tokens, requiring a $10 currency bundle despite the helmet’s $7 equivalent value. Since the game’s launch last month, the November 6 Reddit post about the chicken helmet exploded with over 7,000 upvotes by Friday. Scrappy only appears in one menu screen between matches, providing random resources to players. Developer Embark has created at least two paid cosmetic looks for the rarely-seen chicken in the $40 paid multiplayer game.
The Paid Game Premium Problem
Here’s the thing that really gets me about this whole situation. Arc Raiders isn’t free-to-play – you’re dropping $40 just to get in the door. That creates a certain expectation, you know? Players thought buying the game would shield them from the worst free-to-play monetization tactics. But apparently not. We’re talking about a cosmetic for a chicken that you only see in menus. And it costs a quarter of the game’s price. Basically, Embark is testing how much players will tolerate, and the answer seems to be “not this much.”
Community Backlash Explodes
The Reddit thread about this chicken helmet became ground zero for player frustration. One user perfectly captured the sentiment: “I understand this is a live service game, being supported for 10 years. But this is a bit ridiculous.” Another pointed out that “half the skins aren’t even a different base model and are priced half the cost of the damn game.” The Arc Raiders subreddit has become a sounding board for broader concerns about cosmetic pricing across the board.
Recycled Content Concerns
But wait, it gets better. This chicken helmet is also part of a bundle with a character outfit that players noticed looks nearly identical to a previously sold cosmetic. So we’re not just talking about expensive cosmetics – we’re talking about potential palette swaps being sold as new content. The other Reddit thread about similar-looking skins shows this isn’t an isolated incident. When players feel like they’re being sold the same thing twice, that’s when trust really starts to erode.
Bigger Picture Problems
Look, I get that live service games need ongoing revenue. But there’s a line between sustainable monetization and pure greed. We’ve entered this weird era where $15-20 skins have become normalized, even in paid games. Just a couple of these cosmetics cost as much as the entire game. And for what? A chicken helmet you’ll barely see? The Scrappy wiki page confirms this chicken has exactly one function between matches. So why charge $10 for something so insignificant?
Where Do We Go From Here?
Arc Raiders isn’t going anywhere soon – it’s one of Steam’s most-played games right now. But these pricing decisions create a dangerous precedent. When players start feeling nickel-and-dimed, they eventually stop spending altogether. The community backlash suggests Embark might need to reconsider their approach before they alienate their player base. Because ultimately, as one Reddit user wisely noted, “greed destroys companies – even if just silly cosmetics.”
