Arknights Endfield disables PayPal transactions, as players report being charged for things they didn't buy

Arknights: Endfield has been a long time coming. First appearing in 2022, then holding its first technical test in 2024, Hypergryph's anime adventure mixes up the Genshin-esque open-world formula. We've seen gacha games come out with new, unique mechanics - Morimens feels more Slay the Spire, and Ananta's Spider-Man web slinging has drawn many an eye - but Arknights' base building and resource scavenging have attracted some serious attention.

But things haven't gotten off to a great start in one big way. Despite only launching earlier today (Thursday, January 22), some players have reported issues with PayPal transactions. It appears that, in one of the weirdest, scariest bugs I've maybe ever seen, when you submit your PayPal details to the Arknights: Endfield store, your PayPal account may end up tied to someone else's in-game account. Yes, really.

While this has presumably been an issue since the game launched, Jason 'fobm4ster' Jeon was seemingly its first high-profile victim. In the clip below, you can see a list of transactions that have apparently come out of fobm4ster's account without his permission, with currencies that include everything from Mexican Pesos to Japanese Yen.

The Endfield Reddit tells a similar story. A post from u/Valorshero shows various different PayPal transactions, all in different currencies. There's US Dollars, Canadian Dollars, Euros, and Japanese Yen, all debited by Gryph Frontier PTE. LTD., who is presumably Gryphline, the game's publisher. Using some quick math skills, that equates to $325.25 for that page of transactions alone.

As players began to rally and warn one another about the issue, Hyphergryph has removed PayPal as a payment option. In a new X post, it writes: "Dear Endministrator: We have received reports that the PayPal payment channel is currently undergoing temporary maintenance and upgrades. All affected Endministrators are advised to use other available payment channels.

"Transactions involving abnormal item delivery or payment deduction will be handled accordingly," the post concludes, and I asked Aaron, my gacha-obsessed colleague, to check if PayPal is still unavailable. As per the screenshot below, the PayPal option is grayed out at the time of writing, followed by "payment method under maintenance. Please switch to another payment method."

It goes without saying that this is a scary bug, if the reported transactions prove to be real. I was there when the World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth pre-orders went wonky, and I've seen players overcharged for items many a time. What I've never seen, however, is a payment issue this strange. Whether it's on PayPal's end or Gryphline's is unclear, but either way, it's good to see swift action being taken.

While the upcoming Arknights: Endfield banners sound tempting, I won't be linking my Paypal to the store anytime soon. If you've been impacted, I hope that Gryphline is quick to find a solution. I guess you can sleep soundly in the knowledge that, somewhere in Japan, one player might be enjoying that battle pass you indirectly paid for. Silver linings, right? Nope, didn't think so.