u/Dry_Edge_3067

I need to get this off my chest, and I know I'm not the only one feeling it.

Gold VIP is $19.99 a month. That's more than a Netflix subscription. Let that sink in. Netflix serves hundreds of millions of people, and when's the last time you opened it and the play button just... didn't work? Never. Because companies that charge subscription money are supposed to test their product before shipping it.

Meanwhile, here's what we're paying premium prices for:

• Whisper chat is broken. This isn't a missing feature — it's a feature that used to work and got broken. How does that even happen without anyone noticing before release?
• Constant crashes. The game stability right now is honestly embarrassing for a studio this size.
• Animation sets don't work. Again — paid content, not functioning.
• The 18+ server feels like a complete afterthought. The community has been asking about this forever and it still feels like nobody at Lockwood actually cares about it.
• New champagne and cage items — VIP only, and the cage doesn't even have a light. So even the exclusive paid content ships half-finished. VIPs are paying the most and still getting unpolished items.

Lockwood isn't some tiny indie studio. This is a company with offices in Nottingham, Newcastle, Lisbon and Vilnius, boasting 200+ million registered users. A company that size having seemingly zero UAT (user acceptance testing) is genuinely baffling. It's not just this update either — the Steam launch reviews were full of the same stability complaints. This is a pattern, not a one-off.

It really feels like there's no interest in giving players what they actually want, or at minimum, keeping what already worked working. We're not asking for miracles. We're asking for:

1. Fix whisper chat
2. Fix the crashes
3. Fix animation sets
4. Take the 18+ server seriously
5. Stop shipping broken/incomplete items — especially VIP-exclusive ones
6. Reduce the price of Gold VIP. We all know you can. $19.99/month for a game in this state is not justifiable.

Mods / Lockwood team — can we please get an actual response to this? Not a copy-paste "please submit a support ticket" reply. An actual acknowledgment that these issues exist and a rough idea of when they'll be fixed. The community deserves at least that much for what we're paying.

If you're dealing with the same bugs, comment below so they can see how widespread this is.

I want to be clear up front, I'm not here to hate. I actually spend money on this game and I've played for years. That's the whole reason this is bugging me so much.

Let's start with the 18+ stuff, because to me it's the whole problem in one place. Look at the screenshots. Movie Studio, Ikon Spa, Starstyle, The Venue, the AVKNGLOWUP ones(not 18+) — all of them sitting at zero players. Because that's all they are, a regular room with an 18+ label slapped on and nothing inside. You make people face-scan to get in and then there's literally nothing to do once you're there. Here's what 18+ actually gets you right now:

• No real 18+ interactions or animations
• No 18+ clothing worth the label
• No activities, not even the one cage we used to have
• Just reused servers, an age gate, and empty rooms
• The new Pride one added a hug and kiss station and brought champagne back, which, sure, fine — but still no cage, still nothing actually made for adults
• And the Champions/club stuff people liked just got deleted with nothing to replace it

So you've got all these empty 18+ rooms sitting there doing nothing. The fix is honestly simple — get rid of the dead reskins, take ONE of those rooms and actually build it out with real interactions, adult clothing, stuff to do, an actual reason to log in, and then just leave it alone. That's it. That's the whole ask.

And the reason none of this is getting done is the second half of the problem. Lockwood has thrown everything at Steam lately. PC launch, After Party, wishlist this, milestone that. And the part that gets me is it isn't even working. The Steam launch is sitting at a Mixed rating, and if you read the reviews it's the same two things over and over — the game's unstable and the monetization. So the new PC crowd everyone got ignored for is rating it "meh," for the exact stuff we've been complaining about for months.

And it's not like these bugs are some mystery. Half of them are literally on your own Known Issues list:

• The game crashes constantly
• Animation sets just stop working if you've been online more than a few hours
• Players spawn in a zigzag now instead of cleanly stacked like they always used to
• Animations don't update right and there's no idle animation when you're standing — "team is aware and investigating," okay, but it's still broken
• Mail's been down for months
• Photos won't even save on PC
• And the stuff people keep asking for, like a bigger wardrobe and a recently-purchased tab, just gets ignored

This is the stuff the people who actually keep the lights on deal with every day. And most of us are on phones, not PC, and the mobile version just keeps getting worse while everything goes into the Steam build. Honestly who's even asking to play a phone social game on a desktop right now anyway.

I'm not against the game growing, to be clear. Bringing it to PC is fine. But you can't market your way past the game crashing, and the Mixed reviews kind of prove that. Expand all you want — once the thing you're expanding actually works.

You guys fixed the crown prices when we pushed on it here, so I know you read this sub and I know you can actually do something when you want to. So do it here too. Stop reskinning old rooms and deleting things people liked, fix what's already broken, and give us one proper 18+ space that sticks around. Make the game great again basically.

If you're tired of the crashes and the empty rooms you paid to get verified for, say something in the comments so this doesn't just sink.

https://preview.redd.it/6gckgw383gah1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bfdbb7f9c8d0c671a180a7e28432d87793718aed

https://preview.redd.it/n8x2zkdf3gah1.jpg?width=518&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4baf0f0255e0a9ffc8beffd1cbf0bc0bef6209e0

https://preview.redd.it/y1etcldf3gah1.jpg?width=518&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a7e05459524b487faa97caa5a84c440ec28b023

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Okay, credit first. The crown packs actually got cheaper and yeah, I noticed.

I don't know what changed behind the scenes but the pricing is better than it was, and the shop's felt more reasonable for a while now. So thank you, for real. This is the stuff that keeps people like me spending instead of just drifting off and not coming back. Please keep it going. Keep the crown deals fair for everyone and keep shop prices down. And please don't let this be one of those things that quietly creeps back up in three months once the sub stops complaining. Make it stick.

Anyway, that's the good news. Here's the part I genuinely can't wrap my head around.

The old 18+ server was already the bare minimum. The new one somehow manages to be less.

And look, I'm not pretending the old event 18+ server was great. It wasn't. It had one cage in the middle and that was basically it. But one cage is something, you know? It was one thing adults could actually use and have a laugh with.

So what'd you do? Took it away. And what we got instead is the new SSF (Solar Sound Festival) event 18+ server, which is... a dark beach with a few campfires. That's the whole thing. No cage, no activities, no interactions, nothing for grown players to actually do. And of course it's just another old server recycled with an "18+" sticker slapped on it.

Here's what 18+ actually gets you right now:

• No 18+ clothing
• No 18+ interactions or animations
• No activities, not even the one cage we had before
• A reused server, a dark beach, some campfires, and an age gate

You somehow took the bare minimum and made it less. On a feature you make people face-scan to get into and then market like it's a selling point.

The fix is honestly really simple: just give us ONE permanent 18+ server with actual stuff to do.

Not a throwaway event reskin that shows up for an SSF week and then disappears. One proper space that's actually built out, with real interactions, real adult clothing, things to do, an actual reason to log in. And you've already got the rooms for it. There are 18+ movie stage, 18+ venue, and 18+ fashion servers just sitting there empty because there's nothing in them and no reason to bother going. You don't even need to build anything new. Pick one, put something in it, and leave it alone.

Oh, and the Champions/club content? Just gone. Quietly removed, nothing put in its place, nothing for the people who actually cared about it.

And before anyone twists this into a Steam thing, let me be clear.

Steam isn't the problem. Bringing the game to PC is fine, good even. The problem is where all the attention's going. Right now it's all PC launch, After Party, wishlist milestones, this and that, while the people who've been here for years and actually spend money get an empty beach with a campfire on it. Going to Steam isn't the mistake. Dumping everything into chasing new players while the people who built this game get nothing, that's the mistake.

Like, how hard can it really be to make one 18+ space that's actually fun? It's not a moonshot. It's the bare minimum for something you literally advertise.

You listened on the pricing and it worked, so I know you read this sub. So do the same thing here. Stop deleting stuff and reskinning old servers and just build one proper 18+ space that actually stays.

If you're 18+ verified and tired of paying for empty rooms, drop a comment so this doesn't sink. We know LKWD reads this place now. Let's give them something they can't just scroll past.

I've been playing since 2021 and I've been VIP since the Club first launched. Never really dropped it. I've spent more real money on this game than I'd like to admit, decorated apartments, the whole thing. I love this game and the community, which is exactly why I'm posting this instead of just quietly leaving like a lot of people I know already have.

Two things have been bugging me and judging by this sub I'm nowhere near alone.

1. The crown pack pricing is straight up unfair to the people keeping the lights on.

We've all noticed it by now. 1 year old accounts and people who don't spend get hit with these crazy cheap "welcome back" and starter crown deals, while those of us who've been loyal and actually buy crowns regularly get shown the worst prices. So the players literally funding the game pay the most, and the people who've never spent a cent get the bargains to lure them in. I get the business logic, you're trying to convert non-spenders. But think about how that feels to your most loyal customers. I've been VIP since day one and I'm getting the worst deals in the store. You're punishing loyalty. Every other live game that pulls this eventually gets dragged for it, and rightly so. Same crown packs should cost the same for everyone, or at the very least your long-term VIPs shouldn't be the ones getting gouged.

And here's the thing, you have your own webstore. That means no Apple or Google taking their 30% cut, so there's no excuse. Other games regularly do 50% off or double-currency deals, and they're still doing it through the app stores. You could easily put out VIP-only crown packs or a flat 50% off crowns on your own site and still make money. Instead you'd rather bleed your most loyal players dry. Do better.

2. The "18+" content is half-baked and honestly kind of insulting.

The new 18+ club. It's a recycled old server, an apartment shell you can buy, with a cage dropped in the middle for dancers, slap an "18+" label on it and call it a feature. That's it. No real atmosphere, no substance, nothing actually built for adults. Just "suggestive" set dressing and a gate to make it feel exclusive.

Here's my actual point, and I want to be clear about it: I'm not asking for the game to turn into something gross. I'm asking you to stop treating adult players like an afterthought you can fob off with a reskinned room. If you're going to gate something behind 18+, then commit to it. Design it properly. Give grown players a space that actually feels mature, atmospheric and intentional, not a lazy "for adults wink wink" room that satisfies absolutely no one. Right now the 18+ tag is just marketing. It promises something and delivers a recycled club with a prop in it.

A huge chunk of this game's player base are adults who have been here for years and spend real money. We're not the side audience, we're the core. Build for us like it.

I still want this game to be great. That's the whole reason I'm typing this out. But "half-baked and overpriced for the loyal ones" is not a sustainable way to treat the people who made Avakin what it is.

If you feel the same, comment so it doesn't get buried. LKWD does read this sub.

Let me start with the good, because credit where it's due. The newest release actually leaned more into the 18+ side, and the Solar Sounds Festival: Sunrise Symphony was lovely. Genuinely one of the better things they've put out in a while — you could tell some real effort went into it, and I enjoyed it.

But I have to be honest: it's nowhere near what 18+ is actually missing. A lot of us verified our ages, sat through the whole ID process, and what we got back is a trickle. One festival doesn't make a game "adult." The grown-up part of this community has been asking for real depth for years and we keep getting little teasers instead of anything that actually respects that we're not 13.

And then there's the pricing, which is honestly the part that gets me. One dress is sitting at 220–250 crowns now. A single dress. And crown packs are priced like a luxury good, so do the math on how fast that drains. That's not "supporting the game," that's getting squeezed.

Here's what I think people keep missing whenever someone says "just pay to keep the game alive": the game didn't grow WITH us. We grew up. Our spending grew. Our expectations grew. And the game mostly stayed the same recycled events and the same gaps — just with bigger price tags slapped on. I genuinely don't mind paying for something that's getting better. I mind paying more for less.

To the Avakin team —

First, genuine credit where it's due. Opening the rotating "noob packs" to all players, not just new accounts, was a small change but a meaningful one. It signalled that the feedback from the people actually funding the game can move the needle. Thank you for that. It's the kind of move that earns goodwill, and a lot of us noticed.

But the same core issues that prompted my last post are still sitting unaddressed, and I'd rather flag them clearly now — while there's momentum — than watch them quietly stay broken.

**1. Crown Pack pricing is still tilted against loyal accounts.**

The one-off patch helped, but the underlying structure where veteran accounts pay more than new ones for equivalent value is still in place. Loyalty shouldn't cost extra. That isn't a complicated principle, and it isn't a budget problem — it's a pricing choice.

**2. Bugs and crashes are still daily friction.**

Months-old issues are still here. Stability isn't a "nice to have" for a paid live-service game — it's the floor. Players who spend deserve a build that doesn't punish them for opening the app.

**3. 18+ players are still essentially invisible in the shop.**

This is the one I want to dig into, because it keeps getting deferred. Verification was meant to unlock *more* — instead it mostly unlocks access to slightly less-restricted servers, with no real corresponding content. Verified players have been patient. Here's what would actually meet them where they are:

• **More 18+ furniture and decor for verified scenes.** Beds that look like adult beds. Bathrooms with full fixtures. Kitchens that read as kitchens. Tasteful, not gratuitous — but unmistakably built for adult spaces.

• **A mature wardrobe that matches.** Lingerie, club wear, varied swimwear, sleepwear that isn't styled for a children's catalogue. Verified players should have closets that match verified scenes.

• **Pose and animation packs scoped to 18+.** Romantic, intimate-but-tasteful, lounging, dancing — expressive options that make adult scenes actually *feel* adult instead of being the same animations in a differently-labelled room.

• **A proper inventory split, the way IMVU handles it.** If an unverified account somehow ends up with an 18+ item, it displays as a default safe variant. That's how you separate audiences cleanly without locking entire servers behind walls.

• **Verified-only locations with actual mechanics.** Bars that function as bars. Clubs that function as clubs. Lounges with seating that makes sense. "18+ scenes" shouldn't just mean the same scene with a different label.

• **A reason to verify in the first place.** The incentive on the other side of verification is currently thin. If you want more players to go through the process, there needs to be something meaningfully waiting for them.

**To be clear:**

Veterans aren't asking for the moon. Fair pricing, stable builds, and content for the 18+ audience that's been asking patiently for years — that's not a wishlist. That's the baseline.

The noob pack change showed that listening leads to small wins. So I'm asking again, on behalf of a lot of long-term players who don't always post but do still pay: keep going. There's more on the table, and the people who'd benefit are already here, already verified, already spending. 💛

— A 3-year Avakin

I've been playing Avakin Life for over 3 years. I've spent real money, built real friendships, and watched this game grow. But lately, it feels like the team has forgotten the people who built this community in the first place. I'm not here to rage — I'm here to lay out, clearly and respectfully, what longtime players are feeling. If you're an OG too, please add your voice in the comments.

1. The Crown Pack Pricing Gap is Unfair to Loyal Players

New accounts are routinely offered crown packs $5–$10 cheaper than what older accounts see for the exact same pack. Think about that. The players who have supported this game financially for years are being charged more than someone who installed yesterday. That's not a "welcome bonus" — that's a loyalty penalty.

The result? Honest, paying players feel cheated, while a growing number of frustrated users are turning to modding and hacking to get crowns. I'm not defending that behavior — but Avakin needs to understand they're creating the conditions for it. When the in-game economy punishes loyalty, people stop trusting the system. Fix the pricing parity. Reward us for staying, don't tax us for it.

2. The Game is Dying Quietly — and 18+ Players Are Being Ignored

Lobbies feel emptier every month. New player numbers are dropping. And for the 18+ community, the "adult" experience is basically just unfiltered chat — that's it. No exclusive venues, no mature events, no meaningful content tailored to grown-up players who've stuck around since their teens. Many of us are now in our 20s and 30s. We've grown up. The game hasn't grown with us.

Give 18+ players actual content: exclusive venues, mature-themed apartments, events designed for adults, deeper roleplay tools. We're the demographic with disposable income — invest in us and we'll invest back.

3. Bugs, Crashes, and "White Ghosting" Are Out of Control

The white ghosting glitch. Animation sets not playing. Random crashes. Outfits not loading. Apartments freezing. These aren't new — they've been here for months, and they're getting worse with every update. A game of this scale, with this much revenue, should have a proper QA team stress-testing every release. Right now it feels like players are the unpaid QA department.

Please — slow down content drops, fix the foundation, and bring back stability. A polished game is more profitable than a broken one stuffed with new items nobody can use because their app keeps crashing.

4. Stop Prioritizing Stream Over the Players Who Built the Game

It feels like every recent update has gone toward streaming features and shiny new mechanics aimed at attracting creators and content. Meanwhile, iPhone and Android players — the OG mobile base that made Avakin what it is — are left dealing with performance issues, pricing discrimination, and shrinking content that actually matters to their experience.

We're not against streaming. We're against being left behind for it.

What We're Asking For

• Equal crown pack pricing across all accounts, regardless of age
• Real 18+ content beyond just chat filter removal
• A serious QA effort and a public bug-fix roadmap
• Renewed focus on the core mobile experience that made this game

Avakin, we're not your enemies. We're your most loyal customers. Listen to us before there's no one left to listen.

If you've been playing 3+ years, drop your install date in the comments. Let's show how much history is on the line here.