Arknights: Endfield, Gryphline's latest action RPG gacha game, hit a payment snag at launch last week. Players using PayPal got hit with overcharges — sometimes hundreds of dollars more than intended — when buying directly from the developer on Thursday, January 22.
Player complaints started rolling in by 2 a.m. GMT on launch day, and they kept coming. Around 3 a.m., Gryphline pulled PayPal as a payment option and started digging into what went wrong. The glitch didn't hit everyone — only certain platforms saw the erroneous charges, so some PayPal users came out clean.
How Gryphline is handling refunds
Gryphline put out an apology and clarified that it doesn't store PayPal payment info. PayPal handles all that data directly, and the problem was technical, not a security breach.
PayPal is still disabled in Arknights: Endfield while Gryphline works with its payment partners to figure out what caused the mess. Refunds are going out now, with each case getting individual review. The company won't flip PayPal back on until it's confident the issue is dead and buried.
Players report varied overcharge amounts
Affected players vented on Reddit and other platforms, sharing stories of surprise fees and duplicate charges. The damage varied — some saw small discrepancies, others got slammed with significantly higher bills. Gryphline has stayed transparent about the situation and the steps it's taking to fix things, which has helped keep the backlash from spiraling.
The risks of direct payments
This incident shows what can go wrong with direct-to-consumer (DTC) payment systems, where developers bypass app stores like Google Play or Apple to process transactions themselves. DTC gives publishers more control over revenue and pricing, but it also means they're on the hook when technical problems pop up — problems that might not surface during testing.
Oran Stern, director of engineering for payments at Appcharge, pointed out that these failure modes often only show up under real-world transaction loads. Appcharge CTO Amit Porat said the incident might shake trust for Arknights: Endfield players temporarily, but it probably won't dent overall confidence in DTC systems. A properly built DTC setup, he said, can actually make payments more transparent and secure for players.
PayPal still offline pending investigation
Gryphline confirmed PayPal won't come back until the issue is completely resolved. The company is auditing affected transactions and working with payment partners to nail down the root cause. Players who got overcharged are getting refunds as part of the cleanup.
The situation highlights why reliable payment infrastructure matters as more publishers move toward direct-to-consumer models and web3-related monetization. Arknights: Endfield pulled a lot of attention at launch, but the PayPal glitch became an early operational headache for Gryphline's rollout.
Make sure to check out our articles about top games to play in 2026:
Best Nintendo Switch Games for 2026
Best First-Person Shooters for 2026
Best PlayStation Indie Games for 2026
Best Multiplayer Games for 2026
Most Anticipated Games of 2026
Top Game Releases for January 2026
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why were players overcharged in Arknights: Endfield?
A technical glitch hit some PayPal transactions, causing erroneous fees. Gryphline confirmed it was platform-specific and not a security breach.
Has Gryphline fixed the PayPal issue?
PayPal is still disabled while the investigation continues. Refunds are going out to affected players, and PayPal will only be re-enabled once the problem is fully resolved.
Does this affect all platforms?
No. The issue hit certain platforms only, so not everyone who used PayPal saw extra charges.
Is player payment information safe?
Yes. Gryphline doesn't store PayPal payment details — PayPal handles all transactions directly.
Will this impact trust in direct-to-consumer payments in gaming?
Experts think this might temporarily shake trust for Arknights: Endfield players but won't have lasting effects on DTC systems across the industry.
Can other payment methods be used in Arknights: Endfield?
Yes. Players can still use alternative payment options while PayPal remains temporarily unavailable.
