We asked Capcom for clarity on exactly how the vouchers work: “Character Edit Vouchers work similar to how they do in Monster Hunter: World,” explained a spokesperson. “Only minor character edits (hairstyle, makeup etc.) were possible up until now and will remain available for free, Character Edit Vouchers now allow extended editing of your character (body type, detailed facial features etc.). The first voucher is free.”
After that first free voucher, each new one will cost $2.99 USD (with discounts for buying multiple vouchers).
Aside from the obvious sticking point of locking away content already in the game (you fully design a character when the game begins, and the new edit process offers no more options), Monster Hunter offers an extra wrinkle, in that armour designs for male and female characters can vary wildly. Many players like to see both sets of designs on their created characters before committing, and the Vouchers now make that experimentation come at a cost, or force you to start a new save game entirely.
Fans have begun voicing their frustrations with the system since its announcement. “Character edits should be FREE. Full stop,” wrote skepticalmonique on Reddit. “This is the very definition of creating a problem to sell you the solution. Ridiculous that they are charging for this.”
Sly_Pika agreed: “Shouldn’t you just have that as a feature in the game in the first place though? Like it’s a full price retail game that wasn’t released fully….and they put a micro transaction for such a basic concept?”
Steamy_guy summed up the problem succinctly: “I’ll gladly pay for content not for settings.” That’s a very common sentiment – many Monster Hunter fans are happy to pay for (or ignore) brand new cosmetics, but basic editing features are seen as a step too far.The reappearance of the feature in a second game after World has some players worried about the direction the Monster Hunter series could take in future: “There is 100% a future timeline where MH as a series declines into a [microtransaction] ridden f**kfest,” said SlakingSWAG, “and mindless defence of mechanics like this and the state of Rise at launch will have a big part in that decline.”
SadArtemis pointed out that the feature may even be counter-intuitive: “Capcom has been looking for ways to slip microtransactions into MonHun since World and this is literally the only bit I’m against. Disliked it in World and dislike it here, if anything I’d say that by making character edits paywalled (however cheap, or not, it may be) it actually makes me less likely to buy more of other types of microtransaction (cosmetics).”
It does now feel like a trend is emerging. With Monster Hunter more popular than it’s ever been, the company appears to be leveraging that success to squeeze more money out of its biggest fans. It’s not entirely surprising, but the way it’s being handled feels ill-conceived. We’ve contacted Capcom for a response on players’ concerns, and its future plans regarding microtransactions.
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
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