Fire Emblem Heroes, Nintendo’s first successful mobile gaming money tree, is angering fans with the announcement of an all-new monthly subscription pass. Fans of the series are particularly frustrated with the pass because as the already profitable mobile title is adding further layers of monetization, the phenomenal Fire Emblem: Three Houses is adding substantial DLC to an already massive game at a reasonable price.
As a gacha game, Fire Emblem Heroes’ main source of progression is tied to the collection of the game’s titular heroes through random chance. The model first arose in Japan to explosive consumer response, ballooning into such a moneymaker that even the likes of Nintendo couldn’t resist trying its hand at it. Accordingly, Nintendo’s mobile arm took the Fire Emblem RPG franchise (which is wildly popular in Japan), married it to the slot machine-like gacha format, and pushed out Fire Emblem Heroes in 2017. This evidently paid off handsomely for the company in the form of its first big break in the mobile gaming market, with a recent report revealing that Fire Emblem Heroes is far and away Nintendo’s foremost cash cow on mobile.
Following in the pawprints of a similar Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp service, Fire Emblem Heroes is also getting a subscription pass, and fans are rightfully peeved. Sneaking the announcement in the middle of an already long update video, Nintendo proclaims that the Feh Pass will be available on February 5 for $9.49 per month. The Feh Pass gives paying players access to not only unique Resplendent Heroes twice a month, but also a handful of bonuses and widely demanded quality of life improvements, surely widening the divide between so-called “whales” and other players in the process. Resplendent Heroes are overhauled and are given an additional 2-point bonus to all stats, exclusive quests will pay out key crafting materials, and even missing features like expanded summoner support, turn re-dos, and auto-play options are locked behind the new paywall.
Predictably, disgusted fans are speaking up online in response. Twitter user Zee puts it plainly that Nintendo’s choice to carve up potential global fixes further galvanizes their opinion that “this game sucks.” Meanwhile, a befuddled Mlick asks if the developer actually thinks they would “BUY A BATTLE PASS.” The Feh Pass is definitely not a battle pass, but theirs and many others’ anger at the new subscription is otherwise warranted. Everyone knows core gamers love to jump at the opportunity to declare yet another disliked move from Nintendo an early failure, but some especially invested players almost definitely will find the Feh Pass’s asking price worth it. Furthermore, the Fire Emblem franchise is continually establishing a greater foothold in Western media with hits like Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Super Smash Bros. crossovers, so Nintendo is a likely loser here.
Some fans might quit Fire Emblem Heroes out of frustration over the Feh Pass and it’s pay-to-win nature, but it’s highly probable that the silence of their absence will simply be drowned out by the sound of fresh subscription revenue jingling in Nintendo’s deepening pockets. Until players stop paying or publishers like Nintendo are legally forced to stop, this kind of monetization isn’t leaving mobile gaming anytime soon.
Next: Kingdom Hearts Mobile Game Project Xehanort Officially Titled Dark Road
Source: Nintendo Mobile/YouTube, Zee/Twitter, Mlick/Twitter
