Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced that they are removing the microtransactions and loot boxes from Middle-Earth: Shadow of War for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

In the spring update due out on May 8th, 2018 next month, you will no longer be able to purchase virtual gold with real money. Starting July 17th, 2018, all cash shop transactions will cease, and gold, war chests, and marketplace items will no longer be available.

Over on the official WB Games website, Monolith Productions posted a message to the gaming audience, stating…

“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.”

They mention in the post that if you still have gold by the time July 17th gets here, it will be converted into in-game items.

The update will also add new content to the campaign mode, including new narrative content for defending your fortresses, and further updates to the Nemesis System. The idea is that they want the game to feel more streamlined and less grindy (something that became inherent with the inclusion of microtransactions).

The updates for Middle-Earth: Shadow of War will be available for free starting July 17th.

This is likely good news for anyone who decided to skip out on Middle-Earth: Shadow of War due to the game’s inclusion of loot boxes.

Certain outlets like WhatCulture tried defending the game, saying that the loot boxes weren’t entirely pervasive, but plenty of gamers didn’t fall for the ruse.

On the opposite end of the spectrum there are YouTubers like SidAlpha, who are properly reporting on the dangers of anti-consumer practices like loot boxes and microtransaction.

I’m sure some gamers are probably curious as to what sort of measures Warner Bros., will replace the loot boxes and microtransactions with, or maybe they’re just willing to remove the feature since they already made most of their money on it to pad several quarters with some notable revenue.

Anyway, the feature will be completely gone by this July, but that won’t mean much if the next AAA single-player title from Warner Bros., also contains loot boxes and microtransactions.