Apex Legends’ $160 recolor gun skin in Celestial Sunrise event sinks game’s monetization to new low

Cosmetics in Apex Legends can get pricey. It’s a free-to-play game in which cosmetics largely have no effect on gameplay at all, so most players have simply gotten used to the sticker shock that you see on some items that enter the game, such as Heirlooms. After all, if you play the game for as much time as you would be playing three or four $60 single-player games but for free, it gets a little bit easier to justify splurging on a cool knife or sledgehammer your favorite character gets to wield.

That’s been the pattern the game has followed for a while now: Heirloom and Prestige skin rewards tied to collection events that reward you with very cool and unique cosmetics for high prices. It’s a lot of money and some players might say that the practice is even a bit predatory, but it’s become a comfortable and familiar rhythm for Apex players.