Concerns About Game Balance and Accessibility From a Longtime Player

Samikolo22

Dear Kabam Team,

First, I want to say thank you for creating one of the best games in the world. I’ve been playing Marvel Contest of Champions since December 2014, and despite taking some breaks, I’ve always come back because of my deep love for the game and the community around it.

However, I’m writing to express a concern that’s been weighing on me and I believe, on many other long-time, loyal players. Over time, the game has started to feel increasingly skewed toward those who can afford to spend large amounts of money. Now, I completely understand the need to generate revenue and support the game's continued development that's part of the business, and I respect that. But it feels like the gap between paying and non-paying (or lower-spending) players is widening too much.

Personally, I’ve spent money on the game around £200 in total which I consider a lot for a mobile game. Yet, even with that, I often feel like I’m being left behind. I struggle to get new champions, progress at the higher levels, or even participate meaningfully in the latest content. Meanwhile, some content creators seem to pull new top-tier champs with ease, already having full rosters of 7-Star Rank 4 champions, many maxed out at Sig 200. It creates a sense of discouragement like no matter how much I play or how long I’ve supported this game, I just can’t catch up.

I see videos of creators doing “Titan Crystal Openings” with 500+ crystals, while players like me haven’t even opened one. It's hard not to feel disheartened when those who already have almost everything are continuously rewarded more, while others struggle to reach even a fraction of that.

I’m not asking for the game to become completely free or for paying players to be ignored just for a little more balance. Give those of us who are dedicated, loyal, and passionate but not rich a fairer shot. Whether it’s better reward structures, more accessible crystal opportunities, or more meaningful ways to earn resources through skill and effort, something needs to change to keep this game fun and rewarding for everyone.

I hope you understand that I’m writing this out of love for the game. I don’t want to get banned for voicing this, I just needed to express what I and many others are feeling. Please take some time to really reflect on this message. I know you’ve made positive changes recently, and I hope you continue to do so with all players in mind.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I look forward to seeing how the game continues to grow hopefully in a direction that welcomes and supports everyone who loves it.

Kind regards,
Samikolo

Average_Desi

500+ titans???

Samikolo22

When I referred to content creators opening Titan Crystals, I meant that some of them have probably opened over 500 Titan Crystals in total by now. Sorry if that wasn’t made clear in my earlier message. It’s not just about them opening a few here and there, it's the sheer volume that really highlights the gap. These creators already have stacked rosters, yet they’re constantly pulling new champions with ease while players like me haven’t even managed to open a single Titan Crystal yet. That level of access and repetition just isn’t realistic for most regular players, no matter how much we grind or love the game.

Flavyjay

Samikolo22 said:

Dear Kabam Team,

First, I want to say thank you for creating one of the best games in the world. I’ve been playing Marvel Contest of Champions since December 2014, and despite taking some breaks, I’ve always come back because of my deep love for the game and the community around it.

However, I’m writing to express a concern that’s been weighing on me and I believe, on many other long-time, loyal players. Over time, the game has started to feel increasingly skewed toward those who can afford to spend large amounts of money. Now, I completely understand the need to generate revenue and support the game's continued development that's part of the business, and I respect that. But it feels like the gap between paying and non-paying (or lower-spending) players is widening too much.

Personally, I’ve spent money on the game around £200 in total which I consider a lot for a mobile game. Yet, even with that, I often feel like I’m being left behind. I struggle to get new champions, progress at the higher levels, or even participate meaningfully in the latest content. Meanwhile, some content creators seem to pull new top-tier champs with ease, already having full rosters of 7-Star Rank 4 champions, many maxed out at Sig 200. It creates a sense of discouragement like no matter how much I play or how long I’ve supported this game, I just can’t catch up.

I see videos of creators doing “Titan Crystal Openings” with 500+ crystals, while players like me haven’t even opened one. It's hard not to feel disheartened when those who already have almost everything are continuously rewarded more, while others struggle to reach even a fraction of that.

I’m not asking for the game to become completely free or for paying players to be ignored just for a little more balance. Give those of us who are dedicated, loyal, and passionate but not rich a fairer shot. Whether it’s better reward structures, more accessible crystal opportunities, or more meaningful ways to earn resources through skill and effort, something needs to change to keep this game fun and rewarding for everyone.

I hope you understand that I’m writing this out of love for the game. I don’t want to get banned for voicing this, I just needed to express what I and many others are feeling. Please take some time to really reflect on this message. I know you’ve made positive changes recently, and I hope you continue to do so with all players in mind.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I look forward to seeing how the game continues to grow hopefully in a direction that welcomes and supports everyone who loves it.

Kind regards,
Samikolo

Totally agree with you, the game has been far too carted to pay 2 win for so long that most of it's own players don't even know what pay to win is, I hope Kabam sees this.
This game has over 100 million downloads and millions of review yet it's player base and overall growth never seem to reflect that, P2W combined with ridiculous difficulty is the main cause. The recent spending Events only makes these things worse.

Samikolo22

Just watch, many of these content creators have already opened most, if not all, of their Titan Crystals. And I can almost guarantee that by next week, they’ll have opened another 3, maybe even 5 more. Meanwhile, players like me and many others still haven’t even had the chance to open one.

ahmynuts

Samikolo22 said:

Just watch, many of these content creators have already opened most, if not all, of their Titan Crystals. And I can almost guarantee that by next week, they’ll have opened another 3, maybe even 5 more. Meanwhile, players like me and many others still haven’t even had the chance to open one.

Money

Furrymoosen

You started strong, but fell off a cliff.
Yes, the game is erring way too far in the direction of pay-to-play and needs to be corrected.
No, content creators do not get special favor when opening crystals.
No one is opening 500+ 7* crystals at a time. Hyperbole to make a point isn't helpful.
No, they should not ignore paying players just so free players can catch up, though they should slow the widening of the gap. I would also side with addressing the sheer volume of champs they are releasing exclusively for money for egregious periods of time before making them available elsewhere. Early access is one thing, exclusive access is another. Not counting unit events though, as they are free-to-play friendly events.

Samikolo22

Furrymoosen said:

You started strong, but fell off a cliff.
Yes, the game is erring way too far in the direction of pay-to-play and needs to be corrected.
No, content creators do not get special favor when opening crystals.
No one is opening 500+ 7* crystals at a time. Hyperbole to make a point isn't helpful.
No, they should not ignore paying players just so free players can catch up, though they should slow the widening of the gap. I would also side with addressing the sheer volume of champs they are releasing exclusively for money for egregious periods of time before making them available elsewhere. Early access is one thing, exclusive access is another. Not counting unit events though, as they are free-to-play friendly events.

When I referred to content creators opening Titan Crystals, I meant that some of them have probably opened over 500 Titan Crystals in total by now. Sorry if that wasn’t made clear in my earlier message. It’s not just about them opening a few here and there, it's the sheer volume that really highlights the gap. These creators already have stacked rosters, yet they’re constantly pulling new champions with ease while players like me haven’t even managed to open a single Titan Crystal yet. That level of access and repetition just isn’t realistic for most regular players, no matter how much we grind or love the game.

Zilliaxer

Samikolo22 said:

Dear Kabam Team,

First, I want to say thank you for creating one of the best games in the world. I’ve been playing Marvel Contest of Champions since December 2014, and despite taking some breaks, I’ve always come back because of my deep love for the game and the community around it.

However, I’m writing to express a concern that’s been weighing on me and I believe, on many other long-time, loyal players. Over time, the game has started to feel increasingly skewed toward those who can afford to spend large amounts of money. Now, I completely understand the need to generate revenue and support the game's continued development that's part of the business, and I respect that. But it feels like the gap between paying and non-paying (or lower-spending) players is widening too much.

Personally, I’ve spent money on the game around £200 in total which I consider a lot for a mobile game. Yet, even with that, I often feel like I’m being left behind. I struggle to get new champions, progress at the higher levels, or even participate meaningfully in the latest content. Meanwhile, some content creators seem to pull new top-tier champs with ease, already having full rosters of 7-Star Rank 4 champions, many maxed out at Sig 200. It creates a sense of discouragement like no matter how much I play or how long I’ve supported this game, I just can’t catch up.

I see videos of creators doing “Titan Crystal Openings” with 500+ crystals, while players like me haven’t even opened one. It's hard not to feel disheartened when those who already have almost everything are continuously rewarded more, while others struggle to reach even a fraction of that.

I’m not asking for the game to become completely free or for paying players to be ignored just for a little more balance. Give those of us who are dedicated, loyal, and passionate but not rich a fairer shot. Whether it’s better reward structures, more accessible crystal opportunities, or more meaningful ways to earn resources through skill and effort, something needs to change to keep this game fun and rewarding for everyone.

I hope you understand that I’m writing this out of love for the game. I don’t want to get banned for voicing this, I just needed to express what I and many others are feeling. Please take some time to really reflect on this message. I know you’ve made positive changes recently, and I hope you continue to do so with all players in mind.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I look forward to seeing how the game continues to grow hopefully in a direction that welcomes and supports everyone who loves it.

Kind regards,
Samikolo

They do not care about ballance they care about money

shield311

"One of the best games in the world" 😭💔💔🥀

Sakkban

That’s a valid concern and really well put. Honestly, it’s been on my mind too. I’ve spent quite a bit on the game—probably several thousand euros over the past year, though I’m honestly too afraid to do the exact math. Even with that, I still struggle to keep up with the top spenders and stay on top of the meta champs and resources. I don’t know what the solution is either, but it’s definitely a real issue.

ahmynuts

See BG's older video on game reward vs money trends around gifting 2022/3 or something like that

Rayven5220

Slowly but surely over the last little while the gap is getting bigger and bigger.
I regularly face players with 5-6 R4 now, and of course all the latest and greatest HOF champs and such at r3+.

The more these events come out that cater to p2w players, or guys that have zero life outside the game (guys grinding arena 24/7) the bigger the gap gets, and it's happening faster and faster now.

Demonzfyre

Samikolo22 said:

When I referred to content creators opening Titan Crystals, I meant that some of them have probably opened over 500 Titan Crystals in total by now. Sorry if that wasn’t made clear in my earlier message. It’s not just about them opening a few here and there, it's the sheer volume that really highlights the gap. These creators already have stacked rosters, yet they’re constantly pulling new champions with ease while players like me haven’t even managed to open a single Titan Crystal yet. That level of access and repetition just isn’t realistic for most regular players, no matter how much we grind or love the game.

There are reasons why you see that-
1. They play more than you.
2. They spend more than you.
3. They have less need to open crystals right away than you do.

You should only worry about your own account and not anyone else's.

Samikolo22

Rayven5220 said:

Slowly but surely over the last little while the gap is getting bigger and bigger.
I regularly face players with 5-6 R4 now, and of course all the latest and greatest HOF champs and such at r3+.

The more these events come out that cater to p2w players, or guys that have zero life outside the game (guys grinding arena 24/7) the bigger the gap gets, and it's happening faster and faster now.

grinding arena 24/7 doesnt give you better rewards other than the champs you grinding for and when you get the champ ranking them up is a struggle.

Samikolo22

Demonzfyre said:

Samikolo22 said:

When I referred to content creators opening Titan Crystals, I meant that some of them have probably opened over 500 Titan Crystals in total by now. Sorry if that wasn’t made clear in my earlier message. It’s not just about them opening a few here and there, it's the sheer volume that really highlights the gap. These creators already have stacked rosters, yet they’re constantly pulling new champions with ease while players like me haven’t even managed to open a single Titan Crystal yet. That level of access and repetition just isn’t realistic for most regular players, no matter how much we grind or love the game.

There are reasons why you see that-
1. They play more than you.
2. They spend more than you.
3. They have less need to open crystals right away than you do.

You should only worry about your own account and not anyone else's.

you are missing the point but good for you

Rayven5220

Samikolo22 said:

Rayven5220 said:

Slowly but surely over the last little while the gap is getting bigger and bigger.
I regularly face players with 5-6 R4 now, and of course all the latest and greatest HOF champs and such at r3+.

The more these events come out that cater to p2w players, or guys that have zero life outside the game (guys grinding arena 24/7) the bigger the gap gets, and it's happening faster and faster now.

grinding arena 24/7 doesnt give you better rewards other than the champs you grinding for and when you get the champ ranking them up is a struggle.

Really? Tell that to the guys that spent all that time grinding and had 36k units during HOF that now have champs like dark Phoenix, fury, fam etc....

If you think that event didn't create more of a gap you're delusional.
Guess what the guys that didn't grind arena did? They bought their way through it, the exact same thing you're complaining about