Despite developer Crystal Dynamics’ previous promises, Marvel’s Avengers has added consumable boosters to its Marketplace.
Despite developers promising only to sell cosmetic skins, paid consumable items have been added to Marvel’s Avengers marketplace, angering fans. The superhero brawler, developed by Crystal Dynamics, was released in September 2020 to mixed reviews. However, marvel’s Avengers was recently added to Xbox Game Pass, making the game more accessible to a wider audience.
New heroes and questlines are free for all users in Marvel’s Avengers, including free and paid expansions. So far, the title has seen the addition of three new Avengers: Kate Bishop, Hawkeye, and Black Panther, each with their storyline. These free Operations introduce new locations and villains, with Kate Bishop facing off against the Super-Adaptoid and Hawkeye travelling to an apocalyptic future to face the Hulk’s future identity of Maestro. The War for Wakanda expansion for Black Panther was released in August, making it the game’s most recent and largest expansion to date. Meanwhile, the game’s Marketplace features an ever-expanding selection of cosmetic items, with skins being the only content that can be purchased with real money.
Fans are furious because Marvel’s Avengers has stocked its Marketplace with various consumable items, which the developers previously promised would never happen. The Marketplace was updated on October 7 with a slew of paid consumable items that players can purchase to increase their experience or resources while playing. However, crystal Dynamics promised that only cosmetics would be purchased with real-world currency, as Reddit users Saud Njmh, iCoreyTimmons, and Billyb311 pointed out. In addition, crystal Dynamics recently reduced the number of experienced players who earn in-game, which some belief is an underhanded way to encourage players to buy consumable boosters. The backlash has yet to be addressed by Crystal Dynamics.
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With no new content released since August’s War for Wakanda, Crystal Dynamics appears to be doubling down on making cosmetic items for Marvel’s Avengers. Many of these cosmetics are highly requested Marvel Cinematic Universe skins, missing from the superhero action game when it first launched. The latest live-action wardrobe to appear in the game is Captain America‘s Avengers: Infinity War suit, with the rate of MCU cosmetic releases steadily increasing in recent months. Another indication of Crystal Dynamics’ priorities in Marvel’s Avenger’s Marketplace is the preference for paid skins over free content.
After a critically panned first year, the addition of pay-to-win consumables to the Marketplace could be the final nail in the game’s coffin. Crystal Dynamics has denied that in-game boosters will be sold, claiming that players will only be charged for cosmetic suits. Some players now believe that the developer lowered the rate at which experience is gained to encourage the sale of XP boosters, which will only tarnish the game’s reputation further.
Marvel’s Avengers is available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox One X/S, PC, and Google Stadia.
Source: Marvel’s Avengers, Saud_Njmh/Reddit, iCoreyTimmons/Reddit, Billyb311/Reddit
