HoYoverse's wildly popular gacha action RPG Genshin Impact now displays how much you'll spend to guarantee pulling a character, and some of the rarer ones may reach almost $500. Gacha systems trade in-game currency for a chance to acquire in-game content, playable characters in Genshin Impact's case. The monetization system keeps Genshin free-to-play, but has been particularly controversial for its often obfuscated prices, which are no longer as hidden for U.S. players.
When pulling for a character, Genshin Impact now informs you of the potential price range, the lowest being a single pull, and the highest being when a guaranteed pull occurs after 180 attempts (via IGN). For five-star characters like Escoffier, this range is $1.98 to $475.20. This highest figure comes from theoretically buying pulls, known in Genshin as Wishes, in the least efficient manner, i.e., not in bulk bundles. Genshin displaying this price range may be a result of the recently settled lawsuit between HoYo and the Federal Trade Commission, as reported by Polygon, which requires an age-verification system to be in place by May 20 for purchasing loot boxes.
Gacha mechanics are generally considered predatory at worst and greedy at best,...
