Square Enix is facing a backlash for selling Marvel’s Avengers XP boosters.
A recent update to the game’s store means XP boosters are now for sale via “consumables”. These boosts let players speed up character growth in exchange for real-world money.
Fans have hit out at the move, pointing to pre-launch promises to sell cosmetics only.
Neither Square Enix or Crystal Dynamics have commented on the update (we’ve asked), but fans feared the worst when Marvel’s Avengers received an XP nerf in March.
Marvel’s Avengers, a recent high-profile addition to Microsoft Xbox Game Pass library, is not a competitive online game. But the sale of XP boosters has still been vociferously criticised by fans. The Marvel’s Avengers subreddit is currently packed with player complaints. One fan said Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics “have destroyed player trust”.
“Today’s update is… wrong,” said redditor u/iwanex, summing up the sentiment.
“For the first time since this game launched I no longer want to support it. I’ve spent some serious cash in cosmetics because I love the gameplay and the heroes. And also the events and expansions have been fun, so I didn’t have a problem supporting the devs because they’re incredibly talented and the actual product IS good.