Those worried that Monster Hunter: World will include pay-to-win loot boxes or microtransactions can rest easy, as producer Ryozo Tsujimoto has promised that there will be no pay-to-win mechanics.
In an interview with Trusted Reviews, Tsujimoto said that pay-to-win loot boxes and microtransactions would “create friction” and ruin the “harmony” between players, even in a co-op game.
This is a co-op game and you’re going out in up to four-people parties. The idea is that there’s a harmony in the four players going out and you’re going to get on well together … If you feel someone hasn’t earned what they’ve got or they’ve got a better weapon just because they paid for it and you worked for yours, that creates friction.
Even in a co-op game where it’s not pay-to-win, because we’re all on the same team, it’s like you didn’t earn that or you’ve got it and don’t know how to use it. We don’t want that for Monster Hunter. There are absolutely no plans, it’s not in the game where you can get your random crate or random loot box and get a great item or great weapon. None of the stuff that affects the gameplay is even paid for; it’s all cosmetic, just stuff that’s a bit of fun.
Tsujimoto said that the main challenge of Monster Hunter is figuring out how to beat the foe. If players get stuck on a particular boss, they shouldn’t be able to just throw money at the problem. It’s about rethinking strategies.
Even when you get to a certain wall and you’re like ‘OK, I’m 10 hours in, I suddenly have a monster I can’t beat’, it’s not about ‘well I’ll just throw a bit of money in and I’ll get better gear to do it’. What we want you to do is go back to your house and be like ‘well, I’ve been using the great sword, maybe I need to use the dual blades for this monster.
I’m sure Monster Hunter fans will be happy to hear that there are “absolutely no plans” for pay-to-win microtransactions.
Monster Hunter: World is set to release on January 26, coming to PS4 and Xbox One. A PC version will launch later this year.
Source: Trusted Reviews
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