Cosmetic microtransactions: Most of us profess to hate them, yet people are clearly still buying them. A decade ago, this kind of monetization was the territory of predatory mobile games, while mainstream gaming was still arguing about whether or not paid DLC should come preloaded on a disc. Now, Valorant has comfortably released its latest premium bundle, Kuronami, that includes one weapon skin compatible with four guns and a knife for $100. If you want to unlock all the variants for that skin, it's closer to $300.
Also this week, Apex Legends kicked off its big Final Fantasy 7 crossover event featuring 36 themed cosmetics, "iconic" skins with a minuscule drop chance, and a grand prize that costs nearly $300 in loot boxes to guarantee you get it. Loot boxes were shouted out of games years ago, but they never left Apex Legends.
