'Paladins' Developer To Remove Loot Boxes From Game
"Paladins" developer Hi-Rez Studios will be removing the controversial loot boxes from the game. This comes after the studios' employees and executives went through a heated debate after the changes were met with a predictably negative reception.
A few months ago, the character-based shooter introduced a loot box system called Cards Unbound. This was during the time that EA was embroiled in controversy following implementing a similar system.
Needless to say, the criticisms levied against EA soon set their eyes on Hi-Rez. For months, Reddit was peppered with complaints and even a "bad fan art" as a means of protest, forcing the studio to pull out loot boxes altogether.
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Chris Larson, now serving as executive producer, stated that while the loot boxes in "Paladins" resulted in increased player engagement and increased revenue, they caused issues with the community. As such, Larson announced that Cards Unbound will be removed in the next subsequent update.
"We know this system has angered many of our most loyal fans and become a point of continuous contention in the 'Paladins' community," he said. We will be replacing it with a new system that I believe the community will be really excited about — including the re-introduction of the deck building point system, and a method for obtaining cards that will be way less grindy."
The loot boxes have been a point of contention for Hi-Rez themselves as the studio was divided even before the loot boxes made their way in-game. According to employees from the company, the Cards Unbound update was mandated by the company and was pushed through despite opposition from the game's development team.
"I don't think anybody wants to put levels on cards," a source from the studio told IGN. "I don't think anybody wants to have a power level difference within casual and ranked. It's just a pay-to-win system. The company is being forced to do something that people within the company don't want to do."
"Paladins" will be re-releasing the alpha version of its new battle royal mode as a separate client following "a number of aggressive changes."
