Marvel's Avengers Walks Back Controversial "Pay-to-Win" Update

By Rollin Bishop

In case you somehow missed the online uproar, Marvel's Avengers from Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics added paid consumables like experience and resource boosts to the title back in October. Suffice it to say, a number of vocal players shared their displeasure with the developer online after the fact. And it would appear that the developer listened as it has been announced that Marvel's Avengers will walk back the update and remove Hero's Catalysts and Fragment Extractors for purchase.

"We apologize for not responding sooner to your concerns about the addition of paid consumables in the Marketplace," the announcement, shared to Twitter, reads in part. "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," the announcement continues. "They will continue to be earnable rewards and those already owned are still usable."

You can check out the full notice from the Marvel's Avengers official Twitter account below:

It is worth noting that paid content is still available in the video game in the form of cosmetics, and while the announcement indicates that the developer hopes to rebuild confidence from players, there is no guarantee that it won't eventually try to find some other way to further monetize it. The addition of Marvel's Avengers to Xbox Game Pass surely added a number of new players to the title, and with all games like this, the question is now how to get them to part with their cash without angering people.

Marvel's Avengers, from publisher Square Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics, is currently available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia. The recently released Black Panther expansion, officially called Marvel's Avengers Expansion: Black Panther - War for Wakanda, dropped back in August. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the Marvel-branded title right here.

What do you think about Marvel's Avengers walking back paid consumables? Is this the kind of microtransaction you would have liked to see remain in the title? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!

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