Marvel’s Avengers Is Now Selling XP Boosters, and Not Everyone Is Happy About It
Marvel’s Avengers has had a rather good week after being added to Xbox Game Pass, but some of the game’s players are not too happy with the consequences. Its addition to Xbox’s service has expectedly given it a massive boost on other platforms, which, in turn, was what it needed after having an average concurrent player count over the past 30 days of only barely above 800.
However, instead of unanimously positive reception from the gaming community, a good portion of its players became relatively unhappy. Shortly after Marvel’s Avengers’ appearance on Game Pass, Square Enix started to sell consumable XP boosters that ranged from 100 to 500 credits—with a pack of 500 credits being sold for $5. This has indicated that Crystal Dynamics opted to go back on their word regarding microtransactions.
Consumables were actually first introduced to Marvel’s Avengers a while ago, but it was initially free to acquire. “These will occasionally be available for free to retrieve from the Marketplace,” the devs said at the time. “We are looking at other ways for you to earn them as well.”
The statement the devs made then technically did not mention anything about the consumables never being sold in the near future. However, before then, CD was much more specific. “Our promise to the community is that we will not have random loot boxes or pay-to-win scenarios,” CD confirmed when the game debuted at E3 2019.
However, many Marvel’s Avengers fans also defended the devs’s decision by disputing that the characterization of the XP boosters are not necessarily pay-to-win. “There is no PvP element to the game,” one fan wrote. “People willing to pony up for the consumable will advance faster than those who are not, but it does not really impact anyone else’s game either way.”
“Labeling it ‘pay-to-progress-a-bit-faster’ is more accurate, perhaps,” another player quipped. “But, it does not negate the lie that they told.”
“Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics decided a long time ago that new players were their priority and those of us that pre-ordered were paid beta testers,” added another Marvel’s Avengers player. “They could give a fk for any existing players—except the whales.”