Shadow of War will remove all Microtransactions from the game on July 17th

Developer Monolith announces the end of Microtransactions for their open world action game sequel Middle-earth: Shadow of War, beginning on May 8th and concluding on July 17th.

Microtransactions in games seem to be everywhere these days, from simple cosmetics to boosts that give you an advantage against others. One such game is the open world action game sequel Middle-earth: Shadow of War, which arrived back in October and allowed players to purchase Orcs for the Nemesis system using either real money, or with in-game currency. While the game never really forced you into buying followers, it did cause some upset among the community and many felt it was not required in the game. Thanks to feedback from the players, developer Monolith will be removing all Microtransactions from the game starting on May 8th with the removal of Gold. Players will have a limited amount of time if they want to spend their current currency as the permanent removal of Gold, War Chests and the Market will happen on July 17th.

Monolith detailed the decision in a blog post as they explained the reason behind the removal:

The core promise of the Nemesis System is the ability to build relationships with your personal allies and enemies in a dynamic open world. While purchasing Orcs in the Market is more immediate and provides additional player options, we have come to realize that providing this choice risked undermining the heart of our game, the Nemesis System. It allows you to miss out on the awesome player stories you would have otherwise created, and it compromises those same stories even if you don’t buy anything. 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. 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. This means the option to purchase Gold with real-world money and the ability to gain Orc Followers from War Chests will be removed. There will be a specific amount of time given for players to utilize their unused Gold. If players have unused Gold by the end of the time allotted to spend it, any remaining Gold will be converted to in-game items.

There will also be changes coming to the Shadow Wars section of the campaign, which saw players face off against an onslaught of Sauron's followers as they defended their own fortresses. We can expect new narrative elements to allow a more engaging experience. For those who will miss the fortress defense missions then do not panic as you can still take on the Endless Siege mode which was released in November. Additionally players can also look forward to new gameplay improvements, new player skins, skill tree updates, gear system upgrades and more.

This is something that has been a long time coming and now there is light at the end of the tunnel for many gamers who felt the game didn't need loot boxes. We can also look forward to the upcoming expansion in May as the "Desolation of Mordor" DLC arrives which adds a new region, new missions and a survival mode. Monolith will continue to add update in the upcoming months as they bring both paid and free content to players.

For more details on what is changing with the removal of Gold and Market, take a look at the full FAQ on the Steam discussion page.

Source: http://steamcommunity.com/games/356190/announcements/detail/1649881367335038264