The goal of any game developer should be simple: create a game that players love to play and are happy to support financially. When players are genuinely having fun, they naturally want to invest in the experience. That’s a healthy and sustainable relationship between developers and players.

However, the growing reliance on “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO) mechanics undermines that relationship. FOMO-driven design doesn’t make games more fun — it creates anxiety, pressure, and resentment. Personally, when I see a game using FOMO tactics, it makes me less inclined to spend money. Why should I pay for something I don’t truly own, and that was deliberately made scarce?

FOMO is not an organic part of gaming; it’s an artificial scarcity tactic. The digital assets still exist — they’re simply locked away because a developer decided they should be. Those assets could continue generating revenue, but instead they’re withheld in the name of exclusivity.

A better solution would be to implement a Crown Store Archive, a permanent section of the store where all previously released digital items remain available for purchase. Here’s how it could work:

- Current content sells at normal prices, rewarding players who engage with the game in real time.

- Older content remains purchasable, but at a slight premium — say, a 10–20% markup — reflecting its “legacy” status.

- Occasionally, older items could go on random sale rotations, encouraging renewed interest without punishing players who missed the original release.

This approach achieves three important things:

1. It eliminates artificial scarcity and the stress of FOMO.

2. It continues to generate revenue from existing assets.

3. It shows players that their time, trust, and money are respected.

The only real opposition to this idea might come from players who value exclusivity for its own sake — those who don’t want others to have access to items they obtained years ago. But that mentality doesn’t support the broader community or the long-term health of the game. A thriving, inclusive player base benefits everyone — developers and players alike.

In the end, respect builds loyalty, and loyalty drives revenue far more effectively than fear ever could.

EDIT: I would add the use of endeavors to the 'argument' for this change. If someone is attempting to stockpile endeavors for a particular item, it makes little sense to do that when it takes months to acquire enough endeavors to buy some of the higher-priced items, and then those items are vaulted either permanently and/or for an undetermined time, in some cases for years. This change would make it so that players can buy items with their endeavors, again promoting daily playtime in order to acquire daily endeavors.