'Middle-Earth: Shadow of War' is removing microtransactions

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War's microtransactions caused something of a backlash back when it was released in October 2017.

Now the game will be eliminating microtransactions altogether with a new update. The announcement was made on WB Games' official website on Monday.

"The core promise of the Nemesis System is the ability to build relationships with your personal allies and enemies in a dynamic open world. While purchasing Orcs in the Market is more immediate and provides additional player options, we have come to realize that providing this choice risked undermining the heart of our game, the Nemesis System. It allows you to miss out on the awesome player stories you would have otherwise created, and it compromises those same stories even if you don’t buy anything. Simply being aware that they are available for purchase reduces the immersion in the world and takes away from the challenge of building your personal army and your fortresses. In order to fully restore the core promise of the Nemesis System, we’ll be permanently removing Gold, War Chests and the Market from Shadow of War. This means the option to purchase Gold with real-world money and the ability to gain Orc Followers from War Chests will be removed. There will be a specific amount of time given for players to utilize their unused Gold. If players have unused Gold by the end of the time allotted to spend it, any remaining Gold will be converted to in-game items."

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Players will stop being able to purchase the in-game currency (Gold) on May 8. They'll be able to spend any Gold they own until the Market is permanently shut on July 17.

The update coincides with the upcoming story DLC Desolation of Mordor, which releases on May 8.