“There Are Absolutely No Plans”
Monster Hunter: World is on the horizon and, thankfully, Capcom has been pretty forthcoming about the game’s features. But series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto had more to say on the game when it comes to the possibility of microtransactions. First and foremost, he doesn’t see them as a sensible implementation.
In an interview with Trusted Reviews, Tsujimoto said microtransactions in Monster Hunter would be problematic since they allow players to circumvent rewards. What has always been relevant to the series is the challenge and achievement. Players must face obstacles and build their skill before they build their loot. Furthermore, he feels in-game purchases would cause ‘friction’ in a co-op experience.
“This is a co-op game and you’re going out in up to four-people parties. The idea is that there’s a harmony in the four players going out and you’re going to get on well together,” Tsujimoto said (via a translator), “if you feel someone hasn’t earned what they’ve got or they’ve got a better weapon just because they paid for it and you worked for yours, that creates friction.
“Even in a co-op game where it’s not pay-to-win, because we’re all on the same team, it’s like you didn’t earn that or you’ve got it and don’t know how to use it. We don’t want that for Monster Hunter. There are absolutely no plans, it’s not in the game where you can get your random crate or random loot box and get a great item or great weapon. None of the stuff that affects the gameplay is even paid for; it’s all cosmetic, just stuff that’s a bit of fun.”
In sum, Monster Hunter: World won’t be compromised for the sake of profit. The game relies on a loop of battling and learning, with in-game rewards serving as the incentive. To offer any shortcut in exchange for money would compromise said loop.
“We want you to go in and, through gameplay, find out what’s causing you to hit this hurdle and figure it out. Whenever you get over that hurdle by yourself, it’s such a great feeling, why would we let you skip that just to make a bit of extra money? It doesn’t make any sense. There’s no way we would interrupt that flow.”
Monster Hunter: World arrives for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on January 26, 2018. A PC release window has been scheduled for Fall of this year. Check back for updates.