Loot boxes are a hot topic right now. Most AAA developers are getting quizzed on why they added them or why they chose not to and with that in mind, it's no surprise that the Monster Hunter developers found their way into the conversation.
The Monster Hunter World developers sat down with GameSpot, where they were questioned on whether or not the team ever considered adding loot boxes to the upcoming game. Everyone in the interview appeared to be on the same page stating that loot boxes would simply take away from gameplay.
Monster Hunter series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto's view on loot boxes was short and sweet, don't shove them where they don't need to be – especially in a game like Monster Hunter where loot is a fairly important aspect:
"You've already kind of got loot as a core gameplay aspect without having to shove a microtransaction version of it in."
Monster Hunter World game director Kaname Fujioka echoed his response with a slightly lengthier opinion on loot boxes and how games are designed around loot box systems and Monster Hunter is not:
"I think the games that successfully do loot box systems are designed around them completely from the outside and they're a core part of the gameplay loot. Whereas as our loop, it's more based on the gameplay action itself, then gathering items, then using that to create better gear, and then using that to go and do more action gameplay. We would have to fundamentally rethink our gameplay loop. When you're including loot boxes you have to make them desirable to players and make them want to have them by introducing them in basic gameplay. And then that leads to further opportunities for purchasing to save time or get cooler items. And with our gameplay, we can't just put them in there and have it work. We'd have to have a substantial re-think, which is not something we're particularly planning to do at this time."
Game designer Yuuya Tokuda stuck with what the other Monster Hunter developers, saying that it wouldn't be a satisfying experience for players if they could simply skip things and get loot boxes:
"I wouldn't see a paid loot box or paid system for getting random items as fitting Monster Hunter because it isn't a game where the strength of the items is the key aspect of how you proceed. The idea is that the time you spend hunting and the action part of the game is how you brush up on your skills. And then of course you get rewards of better items; but by skipping out on the part where you get better and hunt–if you're simply getting more items–I don't think that'll be a very satisfying experience for players because it wouldn't even necessarily make it that much more of a time saver if you haven't got the skill to use the items you've gotten."
In other loot box news, EA spoke up on why they included them in Star Wars Battlefront 2.
"I think that Monster Hunter has already built that kind of randomized, item reward into the gameplay. Whenever you carve a monster after a hunt, you don't know what you're gonna get within a certain range. You've got certain rare parts that you almost never get. You've got some of the ones you don't need that you get a lot of. And then there are the rewards for the quest as well. There are some [rewards] that are standard, there are some that are randomized, and a bit bigger or smaller chance of getting them."
