Middle-earth: Shadow of War is set to drop its microtransactions, with Warner Bros revealing that it will instead focus on introducing free updates to the 2017 game. The announcement saw Warner Bros admitting that its microtransactions system caused players to “miss out on the awesome player stories you would have otherwise created,” with its approach to in-game monetization changing as a result.
The announcement was made in a community post on the Shadow of War website, with Warner Bros stating that microtransactions “risked undermining” the spirit of the game.
“Simply being aware that they are available for purchase reduces the immersion in the world and takes away from the challenge of building your personal army and your fortresses,” the announcement reads. “In order to fully restore the core promise of the Nemesis System, we’ll be permanently removing Gold, War Chests and the Market from Shadow of War.”
The ability to purchase Gold with real-world money and obtain Orc Followers from War Chests has now been removed, with players having a limited amount of time to redeem their Gold. After this period has concluded, all Gold will be converted to in-game items.
Shadow of War‘s microtransactions were widely criticized, and while some felt that they didn’t have too much of a negative impact on its gameplay, others felt that it cheapened the experience and the relationships the game gets you to build with its various Orcs. The microtransactions will now make way for a free Shadow Wars update, which will now be “improved with new narrative elements and streamlined for a more cohesive experience.” The Endless Siege update released last November will still be available.
Other new improvements will also be released in the future, from Nemesis System updates through to new player skins and skill tree additions. The ability to purchase Gold will cease on May 8th, 2018, and the permanent removal of microtransactions will take place on July 17th, 2018, the same day as the free update will roll out.
