DON'T BUY DOLLS JUST FOR THE DLC CODE!
EDIT: I should have used this headline lol so sorry: Does anyone else feel like locking high-quality DLC behind physical merch is hurting the game?
My edits are down below and bolded. I apologize ahead of time to any new viewers of this post if this comes across as forceful or overly judgmental in any way.
Most of the community has already expressed that the dolls themselves are low quality and honestly not that desirable on their own. On top of that, they’re packaged in a ridiculous amount of plastic too, which makes this product even more wasteful.
A huge portion of people are ONLY buying them for the DLC makeup codes, which basically turns the dolls into unnecessary plastic waste once the code is redeemed.
You guys are basically paying $15+ for a pixelated makeup item. That is an insane ripoff when you really think about it.
And because people keep buying these dolls strictly for the DLCs, the devs are being incentivized to lock higher-quality makeup behind merch while the “free” makeup keeps getting more repetitive and lower effort. (And even calling it “free” is questionable because you technically need Custom Makeup to fully use a lot of these features anyway.) And for those saying the devs “need money,” they already make more than enough from the many gamepasses and Robux items they sell, and they will continue making more of them. They also make a lot from Roblox itself just by maintaining their large player count, and DTI is literally one of the biggest games on the platform. If people keep defending this, the devs are just going to continue hyper-focusing on dolls and DLCs.
DTI devs act like makeup isn’t a big deal and that it is not an item, but makeup is literally one of the MOST important parts of gameplay, so it should be considered an item. It absolutely affects the experience.
Please stop encouraging this business model. Overconsuming and contributing to plastic waste for virtual items is not worth it, and the more successful these doll DLCs are, the more likely they’ll continue prioritizing paid exclusives over improving the base game.
Edit: Hey guys. I didn't know you could edit posts so that is why I am copy and pasting my reply under this post here. I wish I could change the headline too. I didn't intend for it to sound forceful. I apologize. again, this is more of a suggestion. And I should have clarified that I think people who don't have anyone to give the doll to can try to refrain from buying it just for the code. Like me, for example. Anyway, here is my original edit: I forgot to add that I am mainly talking about the mystery dolls series. I don’t think I have seen a single person like those(that wasn’t an influencer). Also I have bought a few dolls before, but I stopped as soon as they released another series. I no longer think it is worth supporting anymore. I tried giving these dolls away, but even little kids in my family don’t like them.
Also, a side note: this is more of a suggestion. I obviously can’t force anyone. I just don’t see enough posts here condemning these lines of products. I see it on every other platform, though.
Sorry for the constant edits but one last edit I promise lol:
Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts! I’ve been reading through all the comments and wanted to drop a final note to clear things up.
First, I totally hear the call-outs about my own past history with the dolls. I should have been completely transparent from the start that I used to buy them. Part of why I made this post is because I personally looked back at my own purchases, realized it wasn't worth it for me anymore, and regretted contributing to the cycle. I'm not trying to be a hypocrite. I'm just speaking from my own shift in perspective!
I also really appreciate the doll collectors pointing out how they reuse the doll clothes or donate them to charities/family. That’s a fantastic way to handle it, and it definitely changes my pure waste perspective that I originally brought up.
My main critique is still with the developers locking gameplay-altering features (like high-quality makeup) behind physical merchandise walls, especially when international players can't access them as much as we can. A lot of these critiques are shared by a YouTuber named Arismh if you want to check her out. I agree with pretty much all her points, and that was one of the reasons that inspired me to make this post. But at the end of the day, it's your money and your hobby!
I also want to add that I am neurodivergent (I am not using this as an excuse, I am just saying for context) and so I chose a terrible headline lol so sorry! I think I should have put something along the lines of: "Does anyone else feel like locking high-quality DLC behind physical merch is hurting the game?"
I mainly meant to target the developers' system instead of the players behavior but I executed super poorly. Again, my apologies sincerely.
Thanks for the reality check and the discussion. Stay safe everyone! ✨