ArcheAge 'Dolphingate' Angers Existing Players

Michael Byrne
By Michael Byrne, Editor in Chief Posted:
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MMO gamers love it when they get surprise emails from a game they used to play giving them a bunch of goodies to get them to come back and play. What gamers don't like is when they actively play a game and players that have left the game receive gifts that could contain items they've shelled out sometimes hundreds of dollars to try and obtain.

And thus, "Dolphingate" was born.

In an effort to gain some players back to the ArcheAge fold, Trion Worlds sent out emails that awarded lapsed players with "Return to ArcheAge" gifts. For the most part, the gifts were the usual items you'd expect in this type of offer, a few potions, scrolls, etc. However, some of the gift packages contained the newly released $100 Secrets Pack and the Cynafin Dolphin, an in game mount that players have been spending cold hard cash on random boxes to try and obtain.

Needless to say, the forums are already alight with existing players that are not happy about this gift horse (mount joke, a bad one I know) and the flood of "I'm cancelling my patron status" posts have been pouring in.

Trion Worlds, via Khrolan, has issued a statement about the offer and their rationale for what the offer included.

In part:

The important part is to make sure the giveaway is compelling enough to give recipients a reason to come back without it being perceived as too generous to the point that it offends existing, active players. Plain and simple, we missed the mark and overestimated. Instead of moving through the right approval paths the folks involved in this promotion drew assumptions about what would and wouldn’t be acceptable to include. Some of our reasoning for including items like the dolphin or glider skins are that they’re largely cosmetic with limited actual game functionality. The bottom line is we ran forward at full speed with the best intentions and the packages were just plain too generous. We’ve corrected this process internally and have measures in place now to identify and review appropriate rewards.

Would you be upset by this type of offer?

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In this article: Trion Worlds, ArcheAge.

About the Author

Michael Byrne
Michael Byrne, Editor in Chief

Mike “Magicman” Byrne has been a part of the MMOBomb family for years and serves as the site’s current Editor-in-Chief. His love for MMOs and gaming in general has led him to covering games for numerous gaming websites including Gamebreaker TV and XIV Nation where he proudly displays his fanboy flag for FFXIV:ARR.

More Stories by Michael Byrne

Discussion (13)

Dkuang 9 years ago
Archeage is a terrible game by all accounts. I'm still laughing and giggling inside at all the people that spent money on early access and beta accounts. I'm so glad I avoided this game like the plague after playing less than 2 hours in beta and realized game was a big steaming pile of crap.

Needless to say, this Dolphin gate thing doesn't surprise me. Archeage is such a poorly run and managed game..oh wait, its being run by Trion over here in N.A...nuff said.

Baium 9 years ago
Trash game !

Mr Heartless 9 years ago
That's their own bloody fault for supporting Trion in their fraudulent behavior. The total farce that is ArchAge should have died long ago.

No matter how much you love something, if it is bad for you you leave it alone. Be mature enough to walk away. Maybe those fools spending $100's on random loot crates will finally learn this time.

asdasdas 9 years ago
i saw dis shit scam game a mile away & its Trion's fault coz koreans servers are doing just fine

Fornicaras 9 years ago
Im so happy i only played this for half hour.

Seanny Chwan 9 years ago
I've just quite the game a week ago , leaving all my 2xgazbo farms , tachent farmhouse and 4 aquafarm behind .. been playing since OBT .. until i was pissed when the costume i was waiting for so long came up .. spent more then 150$ .. to get NOTHING frm those RNG box. The game is a great game. Not much western mmorpg had ever made such a game like this before since frm Ultima. The one that destroy the game is Trion. Which turns this game into a MILKING MACHINE. You can ask alot of people in korean server. Where they give dophine gifts to everyone for free.

Powerslave 9 years ago
Game still sucks, but I dont know what there yelling about. I quit this game I dont remember how long ago, never got nothing like this. Got a email yesterday saying come back were giving you...
4 Yata Pirate’s Treasure Chest
2 Worker’s Compensation
5 XP Boost Potions
Ayanad 3-day Pass: First Floor Lobby
Ayanad 3-day Pass: Second Floor Lobby
Ayanad 3-day Pass: Third Floor Lobby

Not one good thing in the 4 pirates chest. Only logged back on to see what I got. Wont go back to this crappy game.

quark 9 years ago
Not the first time they did it with rumbling archeum trees earlier, destroyed the market. Thunderstucks trees lost 2/3 of there value in ah. They never learn. Glad I left in Feb.

Eviil 9 years ago
You know what it seems like, developers such as this doesn't truly understand their clients when stuff like this happens. One could understand if they played this game more often and see how the other players react or they can bring out the product and make plans based on assumptions.

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Jack Petterson 9 years ago
ooh Trion you so silly, don't put salt on a very wide wound, they didin't listen to ppl and now they're panicking and doing whatever it takes to gather players back and they surelly won't do so.
We all know what's comming for archeage.

Rift is pretty good tho, still playing it.

70calories 9 years ago
What's that? Archage managed to piss off more of their players? What a surprise that is...

coma 9 years ago
Pure garbage with subscription like system, neverending bugs, bots, cheaters, repetetive dailies and quests, ugly dungeons , plain walls in every, its not mmorpg its a game for peasants, grow carrots over and over and over and pay for that, its for those who want 2nd job.


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