A feature that allows players to pay for additional XP has been added to Marvel's Avengers despite multiple promises from the studios behind that it would never happen.
Suffice to say Marvel's Avengers has had a far rockier first year than Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics expected. The problems it had at launch set things back somewhat and its developers have been playing catch up ever since. There have been other problems since, and despite the player count being low at times, free DLC appears to have kept people coming back.
A change this week might well bring a stop to all that for a number of players. A feature has been added via a recent update allowing players to buy consumables. Consumables that can then be used to accelerate the rate your heroes earn XP. In turn, that helps you level up more quickly and progress faster, which essentially means the purchasable consumables are pay-to-win.
While adding pay-to-win elements to any game that doesn't already have them is controversial, doing so after promising that you wouldn't on multiple occasions simply isn't okay. It was first revealed at E3 2019, alongside the first trailer for the game, that the game would not include anything like this. Avengers' senior community manager specifically said the game will never feature pay-to-win mechanics.
That's not the only time someone involved in the creation of Marvel's Avengers has categorically stated there wouldn't be paywalls in the game. It was reiterated again a week later, and for a third time when the game launched. There has understandably been a lot of backlash this week as Square and Crystal Dynamics appear to have backpedaled on those promises.
The fear that this was in the works was first sparked in some players via an update to Avengers earlier this year. The change made it a more arduous process to level up your heroes with developers citing that skill points were being earned too fast. It appears that isn't a problem anymore providing players are paying money to earn those skill points at a faster rate.
Source: VGC