A hot potato: Are developers starting to listen to players' gripes about loot boxes and microtransactions? I won't start holding my breath. However, at least one developer is pulling loot boxes from its current hot product and possibly from future offerings as well.
Turn 10 Studios, the makers of the Forza series of racing games announced today that it would be removing loot boxes (called Prize Crates) from Forza Motorsports 7. The change will not come until this winter though. Studio chief Alan Hartman explained that the loot box system is tightly woven into the fabric of Forza 7, which is why it is going to take so long to undo it.
"Due to the complexity of removing prize crates from the game - while keeping access to Driver Gear, Mods and Badges - we expect that this process will be completed in the winter timeframe," Hartman said.
Developers have already made changes to the Prize Crates so that they only give out cosmetic items instead of cars and items that give a competitive advantage. Mainly players will find Driver Gear, badges, and mods, but eventually, the loot boxes will be entirely eliminated.
However, Prize Crates are not the only thing on the Forza chopping block. Hartman also said the studio would be doing away with paid tokens. Tokens have been around for a while in Forza but had not yet been implemented in FM7.
"Paid tokens - which were a part of previous Forza games - will not be coming to Forza Motorsport 7 or Forza Horizon 4," said the studio boss.
Forza Horizon 4 is not due out until October, which shows that Turn 10 is looking ahead at least that far with its new MT philosophy. Whether it extends beyond that we will have to wait and see.
The changes appear to have stemmed from player feedback. The Forza Motorsports 7 launch was something of a fiasco and fans of the series were very vocal about it. Turn 10 seems to be listening and working to make changes to appease player distress, which is refreshing in an industry filled with developers who want microtransactions come hell or high water.