The Controversial Feature Will Be Removed Permanently Says the Developer
Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the open-world third-person Lord of the Rings game, will no longer have microtransactions, announced Monolith Productions, the game’s developer, on Monday. They also announced that there will be several free updates for the game that will be launched in the coming months.
The ability to buy in-game currency with real money will be no longer be available on May 8th and other microstransaction features (such as Gold, War Chests and the Market) will be removed from the game on July 17th.
The decision to remove microtransactions was made due to player feedback, Monolith explained.
“In order to fully restore the core promise of the Nemesis System, we’ll be permanently removing Gold, War Chests and the Market from Shadow of War,” read an official forum post about the decision. “This means the option to purchase Gold with real-world money and the ability to gain Orc Followers from War Chests will be removed.”
“While purchasing Orcs in the Market is more immediate and provides additional player options, we have come to realize that providing this choice risked undermining the heart of our game, the Nemesis System,” the forum post explained. “It allows you to miss out on the awesome player stories you would have otherwise created, and it compromises those same stories even if you don’t buy anything.”
The post also explained that knowing that you had the option to purchase orcs with real money “reduces the immersion in the world” and took away from the army and fortress building aspects of the game.
Monolith also announced that they will update Shadow of War’s gameplay and narrative. They’ll also be adding new player skins, skill tree additions, progression updates and more.
Microtransactions have come under alot of scrutiny and criticism lately. Last year, a U.S. lawmaker described loot boxes as an “online casino specifically designed to lure kids into spending money” and legislation against microtransactions has been introduced.
What do you think about this decision by Monolith? Do you think that Shadow of War will be improved with the removal of microtransactions? Let us know what you think in the comment section!