Why Were Boxes Removed from Brawl Stars

Why Were Boxes Removed from Brawl Stars?

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By Murat Hasan

Brawl Stars, the popular mobile game from Supercell, made a big change in late 2022 by removing loot boxes. This decision surprised many players and had a big impact on the game. Let’s dive into why this happened and what it meant for Brawl Stars!

What Were Brawl Boxes?

Before we talk about why they were removed, let’s remember what Brawl Boxes were:

  • Loot boxes that players could open to get random rewards
  • They could contain new Brawlers, coins, or power points
  • Players got excited when opening boxes, hoping for rare items

Why Supercell Removed Brawl Boxes?

The Brawl Stars team, led by Frank Keienburg and Frank Yan, shared some reasons for this big change:

  1. Slow Progress: Even the most active players needed about 10 months to unlock a Legendary Brawler. That’s a long time!
  2. Declining Numbers: The game was seeing fewer players and making less money in 2022.
  3. Loot Box Concerns: Many people were starting to worry about loot boxes in games, especially for younger players.
  4. Wanting to Take Risks: The team wanted to try something new to make the game better.

The First Try Without Boxes

When Brawl Boxes were removed in December 2022, the team tried some new ideas:

  • They made a new system called Starr Road where players could unlock Brawlers in order
  • Players could choose from a few Brawlers to unlock next
  • They added a new type of money called Credits

At first, this seemed to work! But soon, problems started to show up.

What Went Wrong?

The team soon realized they had made some mistakes:

  1. Players Got Bored: Without the excitement of random rewards, many players lost interest.
  2. Fewer Daily Players: The number of people playing Brawl Stars every day started to drop.
  3. Less Fun for New Players: It became harder for new players to get excited about the game.
  4. Misunderstanding Players: The team admitted they didn’t fully understand what players wanted.

Trying to Fix Things

The Brawl Stars team didn’t give up! They tried adding some new features to make the game more fun:

  • Masteries: Special challenges for advanced players
  • New Costumes: More ways to make your Brawlers look cool
  • Player Customization: Options to make your profile unique

These changes helped a little, but the game was still losing players.

The Big Turnaround

In March 2023, Brawl Stars hit its lowest number of monthly players ever. The team knew they had to do something big. Here’s what they did:

  1. Starr Drops: They brought back random rewards! Players could earn these new drops by winning matches.
  2. Hypercharges: Special moves for max-level Brawlers, giving long-time players something new to aim for.
  3. Mega Pig: A new feature that made it easier for groups to play together and earn rewards.
  4. New Brawl Pass: They changed how the Brawl Pass worked, making it only available through in-app purchases but with better rewards.
  5. 5v5 Matches: They added bigger team battles for more excitement.

Did These Changes Work?

Yes, they did! Here’s what happened after these changes:

  • More people started playing Brawl Stars again
  • Players were staying with the game longer
  • The game started making a lot more money

In fact, from June 2023 to February 2024, Brawl Stars saw some big improvements:

  • 2.4 times more monthly players
  • 3.9 times more daily players
  • 8.8 times more money earned!

What Players Spend Money On Now

With these new changes, players started spending their gems (the game’s special money) differently:

  1. Unlocking Brawlers: This is still the most popular thing to buy
  2. Coins: These became more useful, so more people wanted them
  3. Leveling Up: Players spend more on making their Brawlers stronger
  4. Cosmetics: Cool looks for Brawlers are still popular
  5. Special Buffs: New ways to make Brawlers more powerful

What This Means for Players

If you play Brawl Stars, here’s what all this means for you:

  • The game is more fun and exciting now
  • It’s easier to get new Brawlers and cool items
  • There are more ways to play and enjoy the game
  • The developers are listening to what players want

Wrapping It Up

Removing Brawl Boxes was a big risk for the Brawl Stars team. While it didn’t work out at first, it led to some great changes that made the game even better. By listening to players and trying new things, Brawl Stars has become more popular than ever!

Remember, games are always changing and improving. The next time you play Brawl Stars, think about how these changes have made your experience better. And who knows? Maybe your feedback could help shape the future of the game!

Keep brawling, and have fun with all the new features in Brawl Stars!

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