Shroud defends Lost Ark amid ‘pay-to-win’ debate: “Get over it”

Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek has defended Lost Ark amid a widespread ‘pay-to-win’ debate among its player base, claiming every MMORPG is pay-to-win and telling haters to “get over it.”

Since Lost Ark launched, Shroud’s love-hate relationship with the game has gone from one extreme to another. He first claimed it was the most “boring” game he’s ever played, only to backflip on those claims a week later. In the next development of the saga, he defended the game for having what many consider to be a pay-to-win system. Shroud even claimed every MMORPG is pay-to-win to an extent and explained why it’s not all bad.

“Do I care to share my stance on the pay-to-win argument?” he said while reading out a viewer’s question. “I mean, it’s simple. There’s no argument there. Every MMORPG is pay-to-win. Get the f**k over it.” Shroud elaborated on his point: “There’s always going to be cheaters,” he added, referring to players who buy gold illegally. “So, if there’s always going to be cheaters, you might as well have the cheating system built into the game.” He believes the benefits of doing it that way are twofold. “One, the game developers can profit, and two, the community isn’t as pissed. It’s that easy.” That being said, he admitted it can be expensive and isn’t worth it.

• Read More: Asmongold roasts Twitch viewer criticizing Lost Ark

“I think the system that they have can be expensive. It’s definitely not worth it. But it’s making them a lot of money. That’s great. It’s making some rich schmucks spend thousands of dollars to get a little bit ahead.”

Shroud’s take on the pay-to-win debate might ruffle some feathers. However, third-party services that allow MMORPG players to buy gold and other boosts have been a problem for a long time now. He believes this is one solution.

• Read More: Shroud explains how he could change Lost Ark economy

Still, it hasn’t completely deterred incessant scammers from trying to advertise similar services in Lost Ark’s chat feeds. So, players have been reporting and blocking such accounts and encouraging others to do the same.