Including Microtransactions Is Like Including Easy Mode
In terms of production value, Middle-Earth Shadow of War is near the top spot when it comes to 2017 games. Considering its expansions on what made the first game so great, it obviously has a substantial amount of engaging content. But the subject that seems to dominate every mention of Monolith’s next installment is microtransactions. Well, Design Director Bob Roberts wants to put that all to rest.
Speaking to Eurogamer at EGX 2017, Roberts spoke at length about the inclusion of microtransactions in Middle-Earth Shadow of War. Ultimately, he stressed that the game’s design is balanced to the point where players shouldn’t feel any inclination to purchase loot boxes. Furthermore, there will never be a pop-up screen promoting in-game purchases with real-world currency.
“No – absolutely not. 100 percent not. It is important to clarify this as there were a couple of misconceptions. First, the concern about balancing – hopefully when it is out there and people are able to talk about their experiences then the balancing question will be answered, hopefully by people you trust to play through it and see that.
“The other big misconception was whether the game had to be online too – and it’s important for people to understand that no, it’s not required to be online to play the game, and it’s a massive game where you can enjoy the full experience without putting any extra money in.”
While Warner Bros is no stranger to microtransactions, they’re not exactly known for putting them front and center. Hopefully, we can take Roberts at his word and look forward to Shadow of War without any detriment to its single-player offerings. And hopefully, loot boxes will serve as nothing more than an arbitrary feature that’s easy for players to forget.
“It’s the same design philosophy as us adding in difficulty modes,” Roberts continued. “So we now have Easy mode, and we’ve added Hard mode at the other end of the spectrum. Frankl, the Nemesis system comes to life when you are dying loads, so you could see Easy mode as a system which makes the game less enjoyable if you are the type of player who really should have put it on Hard. It’s putting more control in people’s hands – saying, you know how you play best, you make that choice.”
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War arrives for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on October 10, 2017. Stay tuned for more relevant updates. Until next time,
Happy gaming.