New Avengers game monetized with cosmetics

Like most service games who dare not shake the lootbox tree of doom, the new Avengers game will have optional cosmetic microtransactions.

Just as we predicted long ago, Avengers is a live service game that'll be monetized with vanity items. Gamers will be able to spend real money to unlock character skins to customize their character's appearance. We should expect to see a massive collection of skins to buy and earn in-game, ranging from the full breadth of Marvel's Avengers comics--from classic old-school outfits and clunky Iron Man suits to sleek, modern-day attire.

Avengers having cosmetic mTX should've been fairly obvious. It's a live service game with four-player online co-op that'll deliver free updates over time. That pretty much told us everything we need to know and spells out microtransactions. The entire reason these games are made is to rake in more money over time via engagement and paid in-game content for the trade off of free updates over time.

Crystal Dynamics also promised Avengers won't have lootboxes or pay-to-win schemes. It does of course need to be monetized in some way, hence cosmetics.

"Marvel's Avengers delivers a narrative over multiple years, with exciting new content released at a regular basis," said senior content and social media manager Megan Marie. "Our promise to the community is that we won't have random lootboxes or pay-to-win scenarios."

This development follows Square Enix's emphasis on service-based content to help compliment full game sales. But Avengers won't be an online-only multiplayer game like Anthem.

In fact, the entire campaign is singleplayer-only and aims to deliver a cinematic experience akin to Square Enix's big-budget AAA games. The four-player co-op comes later and can only be played via optional side missions set in a constantly evolving landscape.

Crystal Dynamics didn't show off any of these cosmetics during E3 2019--we didn't even get actual gameplay footage--so expect to see more updates in the months to come.

The new Avengers game comes out on May 15, 2020 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.