The Downfall of Clash Royale

Clash Royale has been a staple mobile game in schools all around the world for quite some time. When Clash launched in March 2016, it became one of the most influential mobile games ever released. People have loved the strategic and logical aspects as well as the streamers that promote it. Former Rainbow 6 Siege streamer Jynxi has recently been playing it and raising awareness for the beloved game. However, recent updates to the game have been decreasing player counts and leaving players frustrated and disappointed. 

At first, it started off small. Supercell removed crucial features like chests, which granted loot, gold, and gems. Next there were lucky drops, which granted different items based on rarity. Users were a little annoyed by this, as they enjoyed the classic chests. Then, it got worse as they removed the season shop, which gave good deals on cards, gold, emotes, and more, for just playing a few rounds per day. This was essential for Free-to-Play players, which are people who progress through the game without microtransactions (without spending money on the game), using only hard work and dedication.

On a more recent note, they removed elite wild cards, which were items used to increase a card's power to its maximum potential, which was important in turning the battlefield in the users favor, with gold, an easy to find currency in the game. This does not only put the Free-to-Play players at a major disadvantage, but also gives the Pay-to-Win players an unfair advantage. These Pay-to-Win players use their money to undergo microtransactions to upgrade their cards, and skip through the hardworking section of the game, and go straight to fighting people who have weaker cards, making it a naturally unfair fight for their opponent. This system ultimately turned people off from the game, knowing they would go up against people who cheated their way to victory. This is where Supercell gets the majority of their income, so they are continuing to enforce and promote this playstyle.

As an avid Clash Royale player, playing for 3-4 years now, I just recently reached the end of the game. I really think that the developers of this game haven’t been paying enough attention to their community, which has been really upsetting to us. I think the game has great potential and can make a recovery, possibly even come back better, but only if they listen to their community’s feedback. I love this game, but it’s been very difficult to enjoy since the creators have removed fun aspects as well as tilted the odds in the Pay-to-Win’s favor.

Clash hasn’t died yet, but it has drastically fallen from its podium of glory. It still has a large community who is constantly posing ideas for the developers to add. Supercell is making it harder and harder to play for free and for fun. If they listen to their players, this could change the game for the better.