Silent Hill: Ascension Microtransactions Spark Major Backlash Among Fans

ign.com:

Silent Hill: Ascension, an interactive streaming series that premiered on Halloween, has Silent Hill fans up in arms after being hit with unexpected microtransactions.

While the series, a group-based choose-your-own-adventure, is "free" to experience, it does include microtransactions, including the $20 Founder's Pack. This features the Season Pass, access to all the in-game puzzles, and some in-game cosmetics, such as exclusive emotes. You can give it a look in the image below.

Silent Hill fans took to X/Twitter and Reddit to express their frustrations with Ascension, complaining that there's something of a pay-to-win issue here. The framework of Ascension is voting, as a group in real time, to determine what happens next. As Polygon reports, though, viewers spend what are called Influence Points (or IP) to sway the decisions. You can pay real money to obtain the digital currency, and the more IP you have, the more sway you have in the decisions.

Genvid CEO Jacob Navok previously told Polygon that that doesn't automatically mean you can just outspend your fellow Silent Hill fans in order to sway the decisions, but many are finding a different experience.

"I think the worst thing about Silent Hill Ascension is the currency," @SmoughTown wrote on X/Twitter. "The WHOLE POINT of this webseries is to vote on what happens...but voting is done by this digital currency."

"So.. Why Vote at all if the Wealthiest get to Decide?," asked u/gladias9 on Reddit.

I think the worst thing about Silent Hill Ascension is the currency.

The WHOLE POINT of this webseries is to vote on what happens...but voting is done by this digital currency.

YOU CAN PAY TO WIN ON THIS WEBSERIES.

Absolute disgrace - #SILENTHILLAscension pic.twitter.com/lXW2SVV3PQ

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