Gamers have spoken when it comes to loot boxes and like our recent editorial on the practice, they just don't like them. Some might, but the majority don't and they've made a big enough stink about it that the developer of Dauntless, Phoenix Labs, has announced that it's pulling loot boxes from its upcoming Monster Hunter-like title.
"One of the things that we felt has not been the best of experiences is our loot box-based monetization," said design director Chris Cleroux (via PCGamer). "We're going to be moving away from that as our primary monetization to more of a bespoke model like Warframe and Path of Exile, where you'll be able to choose and pick the things you want to purchase rather than go through the gotcha-box method. We feel like it's a lot more player-first in how it works, and it also reflects a changing interest in the community."
As it stands, if players want to unlock a new skin, banner or sigil for their character, they have to cash in "Chroma Cores," which act exactly like look boxes. They contain random collections of items, meaning there's no guarantee you can get what you want. That's all going to change in the near future, with the developer instead making it more of a microtransaction shop, where you cash in your in-game currency or real-world money for exactly what you want.
"When we sat down, Chris and I were kind of the main drivers in this decision," executive producer Jesse Houston said. "We were just like, yeah [...] let's just move away [from loot boxes]. I think players will view that more favorable, so we're going to do it."
"Everything I do, I want to do it with the player in mind and I want the player to feel like we're doing it for them to deliver a quality experience that they will then reward us with their money. I do not want to build a company that is known for being able to extract capital, or some other bullshit, out of [players]," he said.
