[entuno]

That angle is certainly more understandable - it sounds like you're almost treating them as a donation to the developers rather than purchases for your own benefit. Games like Deep Rock Galactic had something similar - the vast majority of the cosmetics (and all of the gameplay affecting items) were free - but there were a few "supporter" cosmetic packs you could buy.

[solardev]

Yeah, exactly! I think Deep Rock Galactic was like $20 when it first came out? I took a gamble on it and it was one of the best indie early access games I've ever played. For the amount of content and fun it provided, $20 seemed way too low. I was happy to support them and get some cosmetic armors in exchange.

The game kept getting better and better through the years. It's a pretty awesome success story.

They eventually made a board game too (it was okay, IMO).

Overall, I just prefer a gaming ecosystem made of many small but passionate players rather than the Ubi (or Wizards) of the world. And cosmetics can help with that without sacrificing gameplay integrity.