We're very slowly starting to build a picture of Marvel's Avengers, the upcoming action game from Square Enix. It seems we'll be getting a single player campaign, with control moving between all the characters at certain points in the story, plus an ongoing array of co-op missions we can play online with friends. Crystal Dynamics did say there will be no loot boxes or pay-to-win scenarios, but it seems it deliberately dodged a particular word when describing its new game.
According to IGN, the blockbuster superhero title will include microtransactions. Details on what you'll be able to purchase with them are slim, but it sounds like it will simply be cosmetic items, like different costumes. The lead combat designer did point out that none of them will affect the gameplay, so it sounds like in-game purchases will revolve around outfits and other trivial options.
What do you think of Marvel's Avengers offering microtransactions? Is this bad news, or does the fact they're only for cosmetics mean it's not a big deal? Have your say in the comments below.
[via youtube.com]
Comments (48)
i dont care wat they do in the Avengers game, they better not touch FinalFantasy 7, i swear to god i will fly over to Japan n riot infront of SquareEnix offices, word to ur mother i will, beelee dat..
To be honest, I have lost a lot of interest in this game. I had hoped we would get something akin to Tomb Raider in its format - something quite lengthy, story driven single player game. I mention Tomb Raider as that is what they made prior to this but I could of mentioned games like the Arkham series.
Of course my enthusiasm for this could improve as we find out more, get to know what the game offers in terms of content, how good the Story is etc. Right now its sounding a little bit like Destiny with the 'story' more about unlocking the characters than actually providing a lengthy and meaningful SP campaign. It almost sounds like the SP campaign is going to be an 'extended' tutorial to prepare for the online co-op...
Why though? The name is enough to sell the game; it's going to sell millions regardless. Spider-Man didn't have them either.
@Octane and Spiderman gave you 20 + suits in game as well.
I hate the "it's ok it's cosmetic" argument for microtransactions personally, these things were always unlockable (or cheats) before console were connected to the internet, for me and it'll never happen but if your gonna include microtransactions you should sell the original product at a lower price.
So all the cool suit unlocks you get in Spider-Man are behind a paywall for avengers.
Hahahahahaha riiiight.
They'd be better off following Rocksteady and making any canon costume purchase available with more than just the costume.
No one balked at Arkham Knight to get the '89 suit because it was more than just the suit that you got.
Or better yet, follow Insomiac (and Treyarch and Beenox and most superhero game dev's of the last couple of decades) and just don't charge for the canon costumes at all.
This game looks pretty ropey so far anyway - going with the 'MCU but-not' aesthetic is a mistake I think; it immediately makes the game appear lesser than it should.
Marvel's Spider-Man needs to be held up high as the benchmark for all super hero games going forward. Avengers is starting to sound like a step backwards in almost every way.
Only cosmetics is a dumb statement. There are dosents of armors or costumes in God of War or Spiderman and none of them wants extra money for them. It is not normal to pay extra for something that others games have included.
@Octane Spiderman had a $20 season pass. MUA3 on Switch has one too.
Loot boxes, season pass, microtransactions, call it what you want, or they want, paying $60 for a full game is few and far between these days. GoW and DQXI are the stand out examples.
If this is one of the games where they got on stage and said - "No season pass, it's all included free." (One of the big ones did) then that's how it's all free.
They get ya one way or the other. 😝💲
I'm almost positive that they said there wouldn't be any microtransactions during their show... they really said it just for the applause. I could be wrong but if not then consider me annoyed
I think I’ll pass on the Wal-Mart brand Avengers.
I like complete editions or just reasonable purchases, maybe bundle the costumes in with a season pass that we can get on sale. there is no way I am going to spend individual amounts of money on individual costumes. Unfortunately it does affect the way I play because I'll be so annoyed at the cosmetic pay wall, I may not play at all.
Gone are the days when you could just buy a superhero game and be able to unlock costumes through natural progression..... oh wait is was only a few months ago in Spider-Man
How much is it to play as Robert Downey Jr?
Actually I'm sick of this line in that they don't affect gameplay. THEY ABSOLUTELY DO! Even if they are cosmetic they affect gameplay as those are then removed from the game making it feel less rewarding to play. Imagine playing the aforementioned Spider-Man but instead of those costumes unlocking as you progress, you had to buy them all. Would the game feel as rewarding without a new suit to play with now and then? No it wouldn't
@swagbag713 The said there will be no loot boxes and no pay to win mechanics but didnt say no micro transactions
As long as we don't HAVE to pay for anything and the costumes are still obtainable without any money it's all good.
This game is getting a lot of undeserved hate specially because the character models don't look like the live action MCU version even though the game is not connected to any of the marvel movies whatsoever.
The only reason it somehow looks like MCU versions is because MCU and Square Enix costumes are both inspired by the Marvel Ultimate Universe or Earth-1610, Square Enix isn't trying to make them look like MCU they're trying to make them look like the comics.
Internet outrage culture is really annoying sometimes.
Are the MTX items unlockable in game or is purchase the only way to attain them? If it's the latter that's kind of bogus.
@SlimDrizzyLamar
And the simple fix there is not to attempt to look like the comics that inspired the movies.
Not a particularly difficult thing given the wealth of source material - but since that's the look with more revenue attached to it, you get a game that - ironically I admit - looks like an unlicensed movie tie in.
@bindiana
Ah thanks for that clarification. What a sneaky way around it haha
@KALofKRYPTON A lot of animated movies and video games over the years had similar looking designs to movies or source material inspiring those movies but no one seemed to care all that much.
I think this outrage is because there has only been one cinematic version of the avengers and non comic fans are used to those faces as the avengers and anything else (specially other realistic designs) looks weird to them, personally me and other regular comic book readers i know didn't have that much problem with it other than cap's suit (which is customizable)
I thought they learned a lesson with Spiderman for PS4, but nooooo.
Well, I'll just sit back and see how this develops, so no rushing blindly in like for Death Stranding and Cyberpunk (ok, ok, and FF7).
@Octane More money is better then less money to these businesses. Pure greed at the end of the day.
Well, my hype for this game just dropped.
@SlimDrizzyLamar
The 'outrage' - is about the microtransactions. Which is completely justified when held up against similar games.
My point about the looks of the game is adjacent. It's not outrage, nor is it uninformed. The use of the Ultimates style here is cynical. It isn't a cartoon or Ultimate Alliance or MVC - it's a post Endgame videogame styled to capitalise on the same aesthetic.
That is for the 'non comic fans' - to have them buy it because it looks sort of familiar.
I'm actually Ok with that part of it (other than the character models looking awful). But to then espouse their virtues at not having PTW/lootbox mechanics only to then have to say that cosmetic options - for what is ostensibly a single player/co-op superhero game will be microtransactions is actually absurd.
Don't buy it you say? Understood.
Square Enix and Marvel have done an impeccable job extinguishing the tiny amount of interest I had in this game prior to E3.
Anyone making excuses for this is part of the problem.... micro transactions- pay to win or just cosmetic have no place in video games
@KALofKRYPTON
Microtransactions if not done right can potentially destroy the game yeah but we don't know enough about it yet.
Btw i've seen way more people trashing the game for how the avengers look than talking about microtransactions. just go and take a look at youtube comment section on the trailer or comments on any instagram post about the game. people want the characters to look like the MCU actors (it's not me saying it, i've seen many comments asking why iron man does not look like RDJ) which is impossible to afford for Square Enix, they're not disney they can't spend that much money. it's not that their design is kinda similar to mcu, they'd look kinda similar regardless of the design unless crystal dynamics would make a completely new design for the characters.
Anyway yeah i know the character models aren't the best but based on what i've seen on instagram and youtube, fans are overreacting way too much. maybe you and others on this site are doubtful about how microtransaction work but majority of people hating this game is just because character models are not based off of MCU actors.
"What do you think of Marvel's Avengers offering microtransactions?"
Interesting choice of words... "offering". It's like a meme:
Literally nobody:
Developer: Here, we've included those microtransactions you've been requesting.
@SlimDrizzyLamar
The MCU gripes could've been avoided by going with classic 616 character designs - they didn't, opting for the Ultimate/MCU look - chasing $$$ without having actor likenesses and look where they are.
It's not as if this reaction couldn't have been predicted. Having a classic looking team would've been fine. In fact, having a silver age looking team and have the game look like the comic suit in Spider-Man (PS4) would've arguably been easier to produce and been way more interesting!
@KALofKRYPTON
My point is it doesn't look as terrible as people make it to be and they're overreacting, but yeah I actually agree with you on that one it would look better that way. Silver Age design or even the current jason aaron run designs would be way cooler.
Spider-mans costumes were not just cosmetic though. They unlocked skills, right? So kinda different than purely cosmetic MT's. Not saying i like MT, just saying its not the best comparison.
Sigh, casuals stay ruining gaming....
@ellsworth004
Some of the costumes didn't have any suit power unlock with them, most did unlock a suit power - but you didn't have to wear the costume to be able to use the suit power.
Microtransactions used to be unlockables so regardless of how they are implemented, they're always bad news
1. I like playing Digital Barbie with my videogames so I buy in-game cosmetic items.
2. I Do not care for playing Digital Barbie with my videogames so I just ignore in-game cosmetic items.
It is optional,... Not this complicated.
@Agramonte

Look at all those cool free costumes you could unlock in Spider-Man PS1...
@KALofKRYPTON 1. Look at all the cool free costumes you could unlock in SpiderMan PS4... or NOT. I am still using the default one. Still having tons of fun
2. Look at the really cool horse you can get in ZBOTW... ONLY by buying a $15 toy. Didn't care to buy it!, still had tons of Fun
And where does it say you cant "unlock" costumes in Avengers?. Tomb Raider by Crystal Dynamics had tons of them, both FREE with in-game side quest and DLC... they did both options.
They're damn right it won't affect my gameplay, because I'm not buying!
@Agramonte
I'm not suggesting the game can't be fun without costumes being free.
And CD should clarify whether or not the costumes can be unlocked through gameplay, since that would potentially take some of the heat off of them.
I'm glad you've played Spider-Man and not felt the need to change costume outside of the main narrative, but at least you have the option without having to pay any more.
I played almost the whole thing with the Raimi suit - and it did greatly enhance my enjoyment of the game. And it was free, where it could easily have been locked behind a paywall.
A key part of Spider-Man's (and any superhero) character is his costume, and as with the majority of games that came before it, Insomniac's game is strong enough (and smart enough) to let you change that.
What's the point of a superhero game if can't live in the fantasy and history of the character without paying more for the privilege. It is a fair expectation.
@KALofKRYPTON
"...live in the fantasy and history of the character without paying more for the privilege. It is a fair expectation."
ok, I can understand that. I waited till SM was $20 and yet to see the last 2 Avenger movies. So not a hardcore fan. I just like a fun games.
In Rise of the Tomb Raider - you could get 20 years of Classic TR outfits by playing the main campaign.
Hopefully Crystal Dynamics will give you that with Avengers also.
@Agramonte I got Spider-Man when it was cheaper too. Didn't get the season pass but thoroughly enjoyed the package as it was.
The cynic in me half thinks that Crystal Dynamics has done this on purpose.
They have access to one of the most lucrative licenses on the planet and aren't exactly new to making games - this could all just be smoke & mirrors to make the actual game look even better and just to be able to 'clarify' at a later date that this was all just a misunderstanding.
They could recycle much of their previous experience to present a really engaging game.
If there's one thing that Spider-Man should've thought them, it's that familiar tropes and gameplay loops are perfectly acceptable if the presentation is pin-sharp, details are tight and the narrative is decent.
@rjejr The game is considered complete though. Just because a game has DLC doesn’t mean it’s not complete. There a key difference.
Guess I pass then. I won't play any game with microtransactions even if they're cosmetic.
spiderman ps4: we'll give you all the suits through game progression. we'll even give you the sam raimi suit for free.
avengers: where's the fun in that?
@Neolit the only games i've preordered this year
@Jaz007 "The game is considered complete though."
Probably by the same people who consider the Earth to be flat.
http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/index.php/topic,1324.msg1312141.html#msg1312141
It can only be bad news. Who's to say they wont change it after the reviews release?
Tap here to load 48 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...