The upcoming monster hunting game Monster Hunter World will not feature loot boxes. According to the developers, such boxes would ruin the Monster Hunter experience.
Loot boxes are a controversial topic in MMOs. These small boxes contain – often for real money – more or less useful items. Usually, they consist of cosmetic items or boosters, but sometimes they include pay-to-win items.
However, according to the developers, a game should never be plagued by loot boxes: Monster Hunter World!
Loot boxes would ruin everything
In an interview with Gamespot, Monster Hunter producer Ryozo Tsujimoto was asked if he could imagine loot boxes in Monster Hunter World. This was quickly denied. On one hand, there is already randomly generated loot when you carve a monster after the fight.
On the other hand, he opposes giving players assistance through loot boxes. In many games, the boosters and better items from the boxes can help less skilled or active players keep up with top gamers. However, such a feature would, according to Tsujimoto, ruin the entire game principle.
In Monster Hunter, it’s about facing an epic battle against a primal beast. When the beast finally dies, the loot is hard-earned and makes you better. Both in skill and in equipment. However, if valuable items can be pulled directly from the box for real money, it would ruin the entire experience of Monster Hunter.
Monster Hunter World is not designed for microtransactions and loot boxes
Another argument against loot boxes in Monster Hunter World, according to Tsujimoto, is the game itself. MHW is not designed for such loot boxes. Games that rely heavily on microtransactions and boxes are already structured in such a way that players are constantly lured in with the boxes.
Monster Hunter World, on the other hand, is primarily about fighting monsters that you defeat with much skill and good weapons. You then craft better gear and take down even stronger monsters. A game with loot boxes, however, would constantly lure you with the promise that you could skip the “tedious gameplay” by spending money. That is not the path that Monster Hunter World wants to take.
