Marvel’s Avengers may be multiplayer, but it won’t have loot boxes or microtransactions. Taking to the stage during the Square Enix E3 2019 press conference, developer Crystal Dynamics revealed that the game won’t feature “pay-to-win scenarios,” and will instead keep all players on a level playing field. The game will also feature free updates throughout its lifetime.
The game was revealed at the tail-end of Square Enix’s E3 presentation, with Crystal Dynamics making a strong statement by revealing how it would be avoiding giving players advantages in exchange for microtransactions. It’s unclear if Crystal Dynamics will instead look to monetize Marvel‘s Avengers by way of cosmetic items, as is the case in many modern multiplayer games, but at least the game will avoid offering players a virtual leg-up if they spend more cash.
Crystal Dynamics did confirm that Avengers would be a live service game, meaning that it intends to release content for it over a number of years. It’ll be both single-player and co-op, with new regions and new heroes eventually being added to it. However, as stated by its developers all of these heroes and regions will be free after launch.
Live service games typically rely on ongoing monetization in order to remain active. With new heroes and regions being free to download, it remains to be seen how Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix intends to keep Avengers profitable. It could be that more substantial DLC will be purchasable, while only new characters and areas will be offered as a free download.
The trailer didn’t reveal much in terms of how this co-op play will operate, with it featuring no gameplay footage. However, Crystal Dynamics confirmed that a demo will be available to those attending E3, so we should receive some more information sooner rather than later.
Keep it tuned to GameRevolution for more E3 2019 news throughout the week.
