Shared world shooter Anthem won't have loot boxes because they serve no purpose. Developed by Mass Effect and Dragon Age studio BioWare, the game will instead have optional cosmetic micro-transactions rather than loot boxes. Replying to fan feedback on Twitter, Anthem Producer Michael Gamble stated that the cosmetics and micro-transaction plan for the game has no place for loot boxes at this juncture. In addition to this he mentioned that progression through the Anthem demo would be easier than the full game. Reason being, BioWare wants to give players the chance to "earn stuff and feel what it would be like."
"Oh, before I forget: the progression (xp curves) as well as general in-game economy balance will be a bit easier in the demo," Gamble tweeted."We want you to earn some stuff and feel what it's like. We will also give you 100 coins to blow on some fancy cosmetics."
He followed this up by explaining why Anthem won't have loot boxes.
"We aren't going to add loot boxes," he said. "It serves no purpose. The cosmetics and mtx [micro-transactions] plan is what we've outlined. Legion of [D]awn is 4 new armour packs. They aren't just skins. Each javelin has 4 armour bits. You get 16 with LOD [Legion of Dawn] + wpn [weapons] + other goodies."
Earlier in August last year, Anthem executive producer Mark Darrah said that the game is designed as a co-op experience and works best with four players, with each server also supporting four players. Anthem Producer Thomas Singleton also revealed that the sci-fi shared world shooter won't be as fun alone as it would be when you're playing with friends. Thankfully, it will have matchmaking so you don't have to align your schedules with three other friends for co-op play.
As for the Anthem release date, the game is out on February 22. Before this, there are a couple of demo events. The Anthem VIP demo begins on January 25 and ends on January 27. It will be open for all from February 1 to February 3. To access the VIP demo, you'll need to either pre-order the game or join Origin Access for PC or subscribe to EA Access on the Xbox One.