Caleb Jones

This review is going to hurt me a lot because War Thunder has been one of my favorite games and I’ve been playing it for almost half my life. I cannot express how much wasted potential this game has and it could be one of the most fun games ever made if it was under different management. The responsibility for what has happened falls squarely on Gaijin and their interpretation of the free to play model. There has been many interpretations of the free to play model and they all use their own means of generating income. Whether it’s through cosmetics, lootboxes, premium currency, premium accounts, special items, boosters, or just the overall grind of them game, game companies have always found a way to generate income from free to play games. What methods does Gaijin use you may ask yourself? All of them. They use every single method in the book. Whether it be through skins on the marketplace, crates for cosmetics and vehicles, golden eagles (premium currency), premium account, premium vehicles, boosters, event items, and even the grind, all of it is monetized by Gaijin. This review isn’t here to tell a game company how they should or shouldn’t make their income, this review is here to tell them that their methods are going to kill either the game or their company. I have no qualms with heavily monetized games, the only thing that matters is if they are fun at the core. Well, is War Thunder fun at the core? Yes. I wholeheartedly believe this could be one of, if not the greatest games ever made. However, it is nearly impossible to see that shining core through the almost infinite list of mechanics implemented to prevent you from enjoying the game. The problem with Gaijin’s interpretation of the free to play model is that they believe the only way people will spend money is if they’re forced to spend it. This is extremely unhealthy for the player base, community, and game in general. What Gaijin fails to realize is that people will naturally spend money on things they enjoy. If they made the game actually enjoyable for players, rather than squeezing them for every dime, I guarantee they would still make sizeable profits, while ensuring the future of the game. This shortsighted practice Gaijin has engaged in is not going to kill the game in a month, and probably not even in a year. But several years down the line, there will come a time when Gaijin sees the error of their ways. I don’t want to see the death of War Thunder. Partially because I’ve put hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars into this game, but mostly because it is a game that has found a place in my heart. Gaijin can talk about how negative reviews will kill the game all they want, but the only one killing the game is themselves. I hope that Gaijin can finally understand the weight of their actions and change in a meaningful way, but until that happens, I am done.