Marvel’s Avengers removes paid boosters following a backlash from fans who claimed the superhero game created a pay-to-win scenario.
Marvel’s Avengers will remove paid consumable boosters from its in-game Marketplace after a backlash. Since its launch, additional free content, such as new heroes, storylines, and paid cosmetic items, has been added to the multiplayer superhero experience. Marvel’s Avengers, on the other hand, recently added paid consumable items, breaking a promise made by developer Crystal Dynamics and implying a pay-to-win scenario.
Before the game’s release, Crystal Dynamics announced that it planned to release new content for Marvel’s Avengers regularly, including free expansions and paid cosmetics. To avoid a pay-to-win situation where paying players have an advantage, the developer stated explicitly that the game’s Marketplace would only sell cosmetic items like skins and nameplates. Then, in early October, paid consumables were added, which increased the amount of resources players could earn while playing. This sparked outrage among Marvel’s Avengers fans, significantly since experience gain had been drastically reduced earlier in 2021. Marvel‘s Avengers avoided the pay-to-win controversy for a long time, first avoiding social media and then refusing to state in response to the backlash.
Marvel’s Avengers has now officially announced that on November 2nd, all paid consumables will be removed from the Marketplace. The Hero’s Catalyst and Fragment Extractor items will remain in the game, but they will be earned instead of purchased. According to the developer’s message, the paid boosters were not considered pay-to-win items before release, but player feedback prompted their removal. According to Crystal Dynamics, removing the boosters will hopefully help restore the player base’s faith in the game.
We have decided that by the end of today we will remove Hero’s Catalysts and Fragment Extractors for purchase. pic.twitter.com/8am9nSstP2
— Marvel's Avengers (@PlayAvengers) November 2, 2021
While paid consumables are being phased out of Marvel’s Avengers Marketplace, new cosmetic items are still introduced regularly. The game didn’t come out with any skins based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe at first, but Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ live-action designs have become the game’s most popular. For example, the suitcase Armor from Iron Man 2 was recently added to the game, allowing players to recreate the iconic racetrack scene from the 2010 film. In contrast to the pay-to-win accusations leveled at the game’s paid consumables, many see the game’s highly accurate and exceptionally detailed MCU skins as a legitimate way for Marvel’s Avengers to include microtransactions.
Marvel’s Avengers has made a lot of mistakes in the first year since its release. The game continues to be chastised for its lack of endgame content, and the recent paid consumables controversy has heightened criticisms of microtransactions. However, crystal Dynamics made intelligent moves by removing paid consumables from the Marketplace and communicating clearly with the player base. Time will tell whether the game can continue to improve for the better, but this announcement suggests that Marvel’s Avengers and its fanbase have a long way to go.
Marvel’s Avengers is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox One S, PC, and Google Stadia.
Source: Marvel’s Avengers/Twitter
