Marvel's Avengers' controversial paid XP boosts to be removed following backlash
As "first step in rebuilding...confidence in us".
Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics are removing Marvel's Avengers' controversial progression boosts from sale today as a "first step in rebuilding [players'] confidence in us as a team".
Square faced a furious backlash from Avengers players last month after it began selling XP booster "consumables" in the game's real-money store, despite pre-launch promises it would only ever monetise cosmetics. It was a step the community had feared was coming ever since Crystal Dynamics introduced an unpopular XP nerf back in March, and fan response to the arrival of paid boosters was swift and brutal.
Neither Square nor Crystal Dynamics responded to player criticism at the time, but now, almost a month later, the companies have announced that Hero's Catalysts and Fragment Extractors will be removed from Marvel's Avengers' in-game store "by the end of today".
"We apologise for not responding sooner to your concerns about the addition of paid consumables in the Marketplace," Square and Crystal Dynamics wrote in an official statement posted to Twitter. "We introduced them as an option for an evolving player base, and did not see them as pay-to-win since they don't offer power directly.
"After considering your feedback, we have decided that by the end of today, we will remove Hero's Catalysts and Fragment Extractors for purchase. They will continue to be earnable rewards and those already owned are still usable."
"We hope that this can be the first step in rebuilding your confidence in us as a team," the statement concluded. "It continues to be our goal to make the very best game possible. Thank you for being a part of the Marvel's Avengers community".