The FFXIV Portrait Magnets up for preorder are BLIND BOXES?!

[CVXIV]

paying that much money to not get the full set is crazy lmao what

[Iscah]

You'd be better off finding somewhere you can buy generic mini frames and easels and just print your own pictures.

[Rueby]

Wow what is that dogshit...I saw Zenos portrait and I was like 'yeah maybe...?' then reading it's blind lmao...

Pathetic, I guess SE really wants to fleece their XIV players and they're shameless about it.

[PaulH]

I noticed this myself and it is actually disheartening that they aren't more obvious about it and I am glad I wasn't interested. I only ready the description as the release date on things has got more ridiculous more recently and these are not only loot boxes but a release of july 2025.

[Archeron]

Literally all you have to do, is provide me a product, and I'll in turn give you money for said product. Inserting gambling as an element to this process is disgusting, distasteful, and probably one of the most anti-consumer practices out there. Especially for a whopping $88USD for bloody FRIDGE MAGNETS of all things. I'm sure if you were that desperate for a portrait of your favorite XIV characters you could pay someone on fiverr to glue a portrait onto a magnet to stick onto your fridge.

[PaleYonder]

Yeah, this is really bad. I was already not happy about the big expensive bundles instead of selling individual ones, since most people would want only one or a few of their favourite characters anyway, but then I read the description, and it's gatcha. Not in an automat or by a cash register you'd drop by evey week, or packaged with candy and then you'd go get more locally, but extremely pricey gatcha, with international mail order, and with a waiting time of 10 months to find out if you even got what you wanted. This is ridiculous. And the description is way too well hidden; of course many people will click the buy button fast because they fear everything selling out immediately on this shop. Sure, maybe it's legal, and everyone should be responsible for their own purchases etc, but humans will still be humans, and this is simply not decent.

[Rehayem]

I see SE is starting to add gacha/lootbox type of thing into their merch. This doesn't bode well.

[Asari5]

i was like: '85 euro for a few magnets, seriously?'
well the stuff in the se store is always too expensiv.
but thats not even the worst part, its a lootbox... heck no. no way i buy this shit

[Carin-Eri]

i was like: '85 euro for a few magnets, seriously?'
well the stuff in the se store is always too expensiv.
but thats not even the worst part, its a lootbox... heck no. no way i buy this shit

I wish no-one else would either. Sadly these things will sell out. Which is really disappointing - because in the end it doesn't matter how much you voice hate for these sleazy marketing tactics on the internet. If players give them money for things like this anyway, they are communicating that there is an element of the playerbase who're willing to accept this sort of financial abuse in the only language those producing the merch understand or care about.

[Archeron]

An even better alternative:

Print out a picture of your favorite character, in COLOR even! (0.10USD) and then purchase magnets ($2USD) and stick it onto your fridge. Or even better purchase a frame to attach the picture to any flat vertical surface of your choosing ($5 USD). Truly remarkable that we can do such things in 2024.

If you don't like predatory consumer practices, don't buy into their schemes, and don't embarass yourself by spending $88USD on Fridge magnets...