Honestly, I'm this close to giving up playing at this point. It's literally just another capitalism the game, all I do is earn lights and I get a burnout every now and then. People might get lucky with IAP, but kids even adults who's still living at home with their parents wished to get those items.

This game sucks

Its a shame because the majority of the people playing are kids or young adults in college- WE DONT HAVE MONEY NOR TIME!! And adult who is well of economically may not see is a big deal and thats what i think the developers cant understand. Their game base is mainly composed of children or young adults, and the majority wants to enjoy the game not be burned out for another grind to their life

they could keep the candle limit but let us get to it faster.. so we dont spend hoursss for 23 candles and can actually play w our friends lol

I just started playing, and I noticed prices were pretty crazy, and it's not just the in-game items but their merch store too, like 20+ dollars for a small enamel pin(not even the cool spinning ones justa basic pin) BEFORE shipping, yes you get a in-game item or bonus but its just a spell so it's ultimately not worth it. Like, roblox has better priceing at this point, and it too has irl merch that gives you a PERMANENT cosmetic. I don't mind in app purchases that much, but I feel like if it's a cosmetic item, it should be like 2-5 dollars at most and like 8-10 for an ultimate one at most. and for the prices of their irl merch, it should be PERMANENT items, not 10 min spells with a long cool down in between uses.

I agree. While I bought some iap for myself if I feel like treating myself under a budget, I kind of miss when Sky more on having fun at your own pace. Started mid 2021 when the balance of IAP and free items are decent that i was a new player who managed to save up candles for a TS pants and seasonal cape while having fun exploring with friends. I took a long break from sky in late 2022-2023 due to burnout. After coming back to catch up what i've missed, I noticed how moths I've met felt pressured about not being able to buy items or having to ask for hearts to get a certain cape or item. I remind them that they don't need to buy everything just to enjoy the game. Yes, inflation plays a part of this since tcg announced a price change back then along with them running a business, but I wish TGC won't forget the sole purpose of Sky Cotl is to create a peaceful escapism and friendship in between balancing iap items pricing/distribution and free event items. Even my veteran friends found the prices for both iap and candle items insane

and instead localazing prices they make prices even higher for some countries

That’s why I stopped playing! TGC is losing players because of this because once you complete all the spirits, there isn’t much else to do. Except for cosmetics of course. It would be fun to dress up my lil character in this beautiful scenery, but no. It costs money for that. 🙄

Honestly what will the next seasons even be? They already locked the nicest (AND MASC LOOKING) items behing a paywall of like 20€. Like hello?

We need heart converters. Like 3 candles = 1 heart like from the quest givers? Make that a converter. It’s already hard enough to get 1 heart with the help of so many friends, but personally I’m not even social. I don’t have-or want for that matter- any friends

So, I’ve unfortunately caved a few times to buy expensive cosmetics, and I’ve really had to pull back how much I play because I do think it’s so exploitative (and I appear to be the target audience) I DO have restraint but sometimes I like something too much. Also…. The fact that new features are put (like a camera item) being the whole focus of a season and that’s it??? What happened to world building? Deeper narratives through gesturing and images which is what pulled me in? I started playing right in the middle of the beach/island season where the ultimate reward was a manta cape. It’s awesome to see how the game has expanded with a whole village as a hub, more interactive spirits, a place that truly feels alive. But it has lost the plot for me. I care about the deeper meaning of the sky kids purpose and what happened to everyone else. I want LORE. Also, having more variety in the gameplay loop. The quests are all the same… the season of shattering and the seasons with the animal masks was probably the most inventive for quests and goals for me. Also, the fact that they created a season around war and loss but decided to create a stance where you are a limping and injured soldier??? Kinda wild.

i really regret buying the shattering cosmetics. i had around 400 candles and now i can't recover and am stuck at 100. i don't even wear the items

In my country, 10 usd dollars is a price for a newly released book, or 1.5 meals, or a skincare serum. I'm saying ... we don't want to spend our hardly earned money on AN item in a game. I will definitely spend money on items i like , if every iaps are below ... maybe 8 usd dollars ?? BTW my country is also suffering from inflation ...

as a new player, I noticed everything is very expensive, and the impression I got is that you aren't supposed to buy everything, you are supposed to save up and make choices for what to have and what to miss (which didn't bother me after I understood it, but I understand it being frustrating if it wasn't like that in the past)

You know, I spent 200 candles for the white cello, I bought it DURING THE SHATTERING EVENT. I liked it, it made a superfine sound. But at the new update of the moomin season the SOUND of the white cello CHANGED. And it is the same as the normal cello. I made sacrifices to get it, and now they have changed the sound, I didn't pay 200 candles during the shattering event just for a skin but also for a good sound.

and that's why i cheat and auto candle🕯️ 😛

This 100%! I am a *veteran* player (started playing during season of rhythm) and I remember when the season pass was *the* most expensive iap, end of. Traveling spirit masks were no more than 20 candles, and capes were almost never more than 30-50! TGC has gone absolutely *wild* with the price increases and it’s really souring the game for so many of us. I still love this game (mainly playing music and the pretty locations) and was going to buy the Moomin pass until I saw the absolute insanity regarding the Snufkin items being *two separate IAPS* totaling to *more* than a season pass! In my opinion, *nothing* should cost more than a season pass. Why buy it in the first place if you don’t even get access to the entire season’s cosmetics? Big oof

I'm so glad this is more talkes about now. I hate how expensive everything is and cr everything is getting super boring often. I love playing with my friends and Sometimes i enjoy candle running. But it's losing his hype and fun the more you play. Rn i want the season of mooming cape but it's 92 candles to complete which are some days of Farming event candles. I'll probably gonna play it way less soon. It's sad that tgc will lose many players just because of overpriced things and many player burnouts...

for this recent season, it doesnt feel like theres much the season pass is offering? Am i tripping?

Hei, I just want to share some of my experienceses as an F2P who have played Sky since 2021. I remember that time I enjoy the game for socializing with new people. As a new player in that time, I really enjoy the game very much, I joined when the Days of Bloom started on 2021. Then, after I know the adv pass system, I have a dream to buy one of the adv pass. But, after I know the seasons in Sky has exclusive items and waiting for traveling spirits from previous seasons will take very much time, I did lots of hiatus (also for school reasons). I came back few times, and yeah the game is improve much better on its system, but the cosmetics are also increasing in its variety and prices. I found out it will become more exhausting to grinding candles for free cosmetics I want, and I don't have any willingness to pay for buy the IAP cosmetics. And yeah, I agree with the video wich mention the prices are high as heck. As someone who lived in different country, 1$ is already a high price for me as a student. Since, that. I stop playing Sky for candle running, and just playing it only on holidays or long free days as solo players. I also have losts much of my old friends from there. I move to Genshin Impact because I still have friends to play with in there, and I don't need to rush for upgrading on the level I am in now. It's more relaxing and more flexible with my time even as an F2P in that game. I still love Sky but I need to leave because my condition is not supporting me to play the game more. Maybe some of you guys also have the same experiences as me :)🌺

being an agender guy (prefer masc stuff) my options for pants are usually prophecy pants or rhythm pants. and the few hairstyles i like are usually expensive (wasteland and valley elder hair still not in my grasp despite playing for 4 years). i remember back in the day when the black and white capes were THE show of wealth. now it feels like they’re barely impressive. also tbh the seasons fell off after dreams cosmetic wise imo. prophecy and dreams were the only two seasons i got full seasonal rewards (ultimates included) just because everything appealed to me

what's crazy is that for the iap prices, you could get a physical piece of clothing. having the same price range for a real piece of clothing and a virtual one is insane

Hey, butterfly here! As someone who only wants around 3-5 items in every cosmetics category, I totally agree with every point, everything is getting WAY too expensive and TGC is NOT a small company anymore 😅 I get that they need a lot of money to do things, but they already have an online store, and it’s not like fundraising doesn’t exist! If anyone is interested, I’d also like to share my own candle running tips! (Long read ahead lol!) - It might be obvious, but DO YOUR DAILY QUESTS- it’s the off season right now, so you’ll get your candles right away instead of waiting for them to be converted at the end of the season! - In my experience, the realms you HAVE to run every day are: Boosted realm (up to you if it’s wasteland though!), geyser, grandma, prairie and forest- that’s it. Everything else is an afterthought, though I’d recommend doing vault if you can! - Something I haven’t seen people talking about enough are non-social light events or dailies; there’s Harmony Hall (Aviary village or off to the side in dreams village), where you can get a candle worth of wax every day depending on how well you play, the cafe all the way in the back of the village (enter the door next to the bar) that hands out a free pastry worth around a candle cake, and shard eruptions- there’s a website online that shows where and when they land every day! - If for whatever reason you don’t want to or can’t do a full candle run, quests, geyser, grandma, music challenge and cafe altogether net around 5-10 candles in 1/2-1 hour! Until TGC listens to our requests, hope this list helps, fellow skykids! :D

i feel like after you have been through the whole game the cosmetics are truly the main reason people stay and how it is a little challenge to get candles and it is rewarding when you can spend them because you earned them, however i completely agree. it is like they want people to stop playing honestly. and with all the new regulations surrounding how many candles per day you can get and how you can get them, it makes the game very frustrating at times. the graphics are beautiful yes but that does not make up for the prices and it is also frustrating how certain items can only be obtained by actually spending money. who wants to spend money they earned in real life to keep food in their belly and clothes on their back on a video game........... i mean lots of people but not most. very ridiculous

1:43 i have that exact costume except for the cape loll

3:30 SUPPORT HACKERS!? Child, you do realise what you are saying is that you support people who exploit, break, if not blatantly cheat in the game. Because you dont like the business running the game you love? It is like saying you like a certain coffee shop, but dont like the cost for extra sugar and cream. So you support the folks messing with the shop? Two wrong dont make a right. They just gunk up the system and make the problem worse than it already is.

The game is not pay to win. I am not defending the company, nor taking sides. The game had inflation of ingame curruncy (candles) for years. This is not a recent problem. And one you can complain about until you are blue in the face. Cosmetics are optional. The game focuses on them so much because TGC as a business thrives on these micro transactions. Dont like them? Tell people about it, dont complain to their faces while also insulting them. The community has people who care. People who work jobs. People who joined because of the good thing the game and community has to offer. Feeding into the toxicity by being toxic is not helping. This is coming from someone who plays the game for 4 years. I started as a free-to-play only, then dabbled in buying passes after being gifted some first. I met amazing people, lost friends because of drama in the game, and then made new ones. I am with you on the costs being ridiculously high. But crying about it is not helping. What does help is letting people know what can be done to fix it. Giving feedback is one way to go about it. Encouraging others to do the same also helps. Life is not about who has the best looking or most expensive stuff. The game has a messed up way of teaching that. And people as a community can help change that. Otherwsie people are going to end up boycotting, cancelling and stir up drama over petty things.

Thanks for finally making videos about this. I tried to talk about this in 2021 and 2022 but people were too new to listen or accept that, people are finally noticing what's up now and I'm all here for it. TGC won't learn unless there is a major boycott.

Yeahh…I had played sky since release as a f2p, but I got so exhausted and burnt out that I haven’t really been able to touch the game nowadays. It’s really demotivating when you look at the prices of stuff for an upcoming season to find out that either everything you want is locked behind the season pass or is going to take hundreds of candles to get when you just spent it all.

i’m australian so the prices are much higher for me!!! 🥲🥲 when season of aurora came out i spent over $120 TO BUY NOT EVEN ALL OF THE COSMETICS. it’s insane. the wings of aurora themselves were like $35. i’d spent all of my christmas money on just a few cosmetics.

✋🏽🗿 Im playing Sky for at least 3 years, this Style event it’s my very first time AFK and I really have all this thoughts 💭 you mentioned. Some times I feel like I don’t have any fun playing it. Not anymore, it’s worst I feeling like all the time have FOMO.

Tgc has already pushed me far beyond burnt out and i've been playing for 5 years now. Idk how i don't mind that. Like....at all. 😐

A major thing for me with these unreasonable prices is on top of that, you get put into a chokehold over the fact that IF YOU DON'T GET IT *_NOW_* YOU WILL*NEVER* HAVE THE CHANCE TO GET IT AGAIN!!! I was so so so so SO happy over the cinnamaroll collab because I love sky and I LOVE sanrio but the fact that I had to PAY for the cape and hair DEVASTATED me, I cried so unreasonably hard because I couldn't afford the Cinnamoroll plushie and as sad and pathetic as it is, I'm still heart broken because I couldn't afford to buy that cinnamoroll plushie. I WISH I could get into contact with the company and BEG them to PLEASE for just ONE more day make that plushie available for purchase so I can give them my money, I would even pay twice the price because that is how desperately I desire to carry cinnamaroll on my back, but I doubt that my begging and pleading would be heard.

i want to take the time to point something out. now i started playing sky like at the end of the aurora season so idk much of how shattering worked but this just made me notice something. This is mainly for the aviary and that nesting season but what i noticed is that since they aren’t actually spirits, they’re eventually going to come back all together as a group like the shattering spirits and what does that mean? more spending money on candles which means more money for TGC..! i have a feeling they’re gonna try to implement that more somehow so then they can keep doing those group TS with the ridiculously high prices just to get their bag which makes me sad. after only playing sky for like a year, i’m already burnt out from the constant grinding from seasons, events, and TS

You could take a small break? I take a lot of them, and it makes the game more bearable.

I joined sky in december 2020 and played nonstop until that ikea ahh season dropped and even after quitting the fomo STILL lingers, i quit because year after year the prices and fomo only got worse and tgc did nothing to fix it they just slapped the event ticket bandaid on it and called it a solution but in a year or two you will have the same issue with tickets that the candles had, the game has become less about social interactions and more about cosmetics and sales and yet a huge portion of the community will try and gaslight you into thinking otherwise and that tgc isn’t literally just milking yall for money they’re just a “small company” and need money 🥺 if this game was actually about connection why do they force the crowd function into so many events?? you can’t interact with the crowd they are honestly just an eyesore in most cases but they add them in to make you think that they care about the community and not just their money, the other thing is we’ve had multiple seasons now with little to no spirits or emotes or valuable stories to be told, just decorations and cosmetics..the community will still try and deny they’re being taken advantage of even when there’s a season of literally just furniture being waved in their faces, tgc will continue to push their luck until the backlash can’t be ignored anymore and then they’ll do something small to solve the issue, claim to hear y’all and then in a month or two it’s back to suddenly being oblivious to the burnout and fomo

I'm finally at "has everything that was priced for candles" stage thanks to the event currency, but now that I've got like 1300 candles, I'm annoyed I have to wait for new TS to come along. Lol Veteran 'problems' aside, I find it ridiculous how highly priced the items are in the years following the times where they're event currency. Like Days of Sky's items were SO EXPENSIVE- like i forgor how expensive the disco ball was but it had me do a double take. think they should stay event currency and TGC should either increase the amount of currency found to compensate for the new additions, or Keep the currency amount the same and just make players choose what to pick from. Bc the events go on with so much currency available to grab, and If they aren't gonna make trading currency for spells available consistency, there's more than enough to go around by the end of the events.

The prices are definitely ridiculous. I got so much beef with tgc now i decided to not pay for anything in real money just out of spite. Bur i cant stop myself from cr. I am decreasing it but it's like an addiction lol. I was planing to quit after shattering traveling spirits because how it become a daily chore but then i met with new awesome friends and now i cant leave. Also people are really strange for not complaining for prices and even bullying people for it. Since when people are caring so much about capitalist companies? They're acting like tgc is their baby. It's not, it's same as any other company that wants to drain your money and time. But compared to how other companies at least give good services tgc even lack that. Look at the bugs that cant be fixed, look at how long it takes to bring useful things like simply skipping some scenes to come into game. It baffles me how long it took to add simple functions like unfriend and skip scenes. The lore doesn't improve at all either. Only thing they give is cosmetics and those people dares to say this game isnt about cosmetics. Sorry but you guys are babies with a shiny filter on your eyes. This game is full of dark patterns to make you fall into a pit. If you only play online games this might be normal to you but once you see some actual game with story and fun and you can get everything with one time purchase for a cheaper price you will know thay sky is just a pit. You guys can get a lot more game with that money and enjoy it for a couple days without getting addicted or having a fomo.

LMFAO the thumbnail

I regret missing one cape from the dreams guide that was an ultimate and auroras voice because my phone couldn't run sky then, the pricings now are ridiculous.. honestly I wish they made ultimates etc obtainable again even if they costed 100 hearts each, I just really want those 2 but no ☹️ it's ridiculous

1:05 WHAT. I quit sky a few months ago after my sky friendgroup broke up and honestly i’m glad i quit… i was planning to come back for moomin since it’s my comfort show/books but honestly there’s no way im doing that now. I originally started sky in little prince so I’m honestly kinda sad this has happened😭 the game doesn’t even have the same kinda mysterious but welcoming vibe as it used to… the worst thing in my opinion is sky ocs.. i made a lot of them and was so attached to them and they had a super developed story but. now??? now idk what i’m gonna do. i don’t like tgc anymore but those characters are forever associated with sky

I started playing around 2021 or 2020 then took a break and came back during season of shattering i would play almost everyday but now. I have gotten burnt out and I have taken into consideration quitting completely. It’s boring when I don’t have friends and it takes a long time to candle run. It gets repetitive and one can use up a lot of candles in a matter of seconds comparing to farming. The ultimate rewards have been the same just different colors like come on 😂😭

"when your game is making people anti-capitalist, that's maybe not a good sign?" Unless TGC are highly political and ideological. Ah, the wonders of being into politics and seeing how shitty companies deceive their customers!

i think people who wants to looks cool in sky just have this "problem.Ive always been a free to play gamer,when i like stuff i buy it.Thats how it should work,if you can afford just buy,theyre deff not forcing anyone.There were times where i cant afford and its the same irl, dont spend above your means,and just live a lifestyle in sky that is comfortable. Ive been playing for 3 yrs also,the burn out depends on you and YOU only. How you play a game should always be balanced.The candles are for cosmetics,if you do run everyday and complain its all about cosmetics,it is your way of playing the game,cuz ive known players whos just "Oh,well!ill get it next time np" if you get influenced to dress cool,thats how you start to hate it.

First, High Prices: I do agree. I generally skip IAPs. All most beautiful items are just in the shop, with $10+. They first gave cosmetics with season trees. Now, they are making the season tree with shared space items. Remaining wearable items are in their shop. Even season pass holders are getting some trashes; which is really disgusting. Second, masculine looking cosmetics: I do agree here with this too. As a male, i have only a few boyish cosmetics. Lately I feel that they're transforming this a feminine game with only dresses, footwears, hair, hair accessories, earings.. Even they've started ruining old season's beautiful unisex cosmetics by removing shoes.

5:18 bro don’t jinx it ;-;

Wuff. I'm glad i got everything for Shattering during the season. I'm sorry to hear they're so expensive! :(

For low poly in game digital assets that you don't even own, they are assets owned by the game company and just lent to you, that they can take away whenever the game bankrupts or something, they are extremely overpriced, and why all male outfits are more expensive than females? I feel like i am in a nightclub that only allow free entrance to girls while guys need to pay 25$, is this just misandry or something?

You have to wait 2 years for a single item you want or more if you don’t pay when the event happens and then you have to wait longer for other ones💀 like cmon…and the more spirits they add the longer it’s gonna be to wait for spirits you want and the constant grinds while waiting 😭😭

As a vet, I completely agree I’ve seen the changes, it never use to be this bad, the beach towel capes were actually free last year with the event currency, but the prices get worse each year, did you know that wrap to friends use to be 4 ascended candles instead of 10? The prices have gone higher each year, even the seasonal prices too! The issue with sky is that they pressure you into buying iap and seasonal things to the point where you feel like you are stuck with it, and it’s definitely repetitive nothing new just seasons go keep us at bay but even seasons become repetitive. I understand that some people don’t want to quit because they’ve spent so much on the game.