Loot boxes in video games have always been contentious, and that even applies to decades old MMOs with extremely dedicated fans. Daybreak, developers for Everquest 2, have thrown out plans for a new loot box that allowed players to buy the chance to get loot more often after a massive backlash from fans.
The contentious item in particular was the "Personal Treasure Unlocker", which would remove the usual 18 hour cooldown period for loot drops from bosses in raids. Therefore, the more of those items you had, the more often you could raid for loot, giving you more chances to get valuable loot. Players on cooldown could still raid, but wouldn’t get the chance for loot after boss fights. The kicker is that the items were only available from the Libant Evernight Heritage Crate, giving players who could afford to splurge on a big number of crates a distinct advantage over those who could not.
The reaction from the playerbase was large and near-instantaneous, with many players coining the term "pay to raid", and pointing out this would lead to more separation between the players who would pay and those who would not.
Thankfully for fans, Daybreak scrapped the plans mere weeks after it was announced. "We heard you and understand that there were particular elements of the Libant Heritage Crate that run counter to our shared values," a dev named Kander posted. They then went on to explain that Daybreak would not make any of those types of items available again, and that the crate in question wouldn’t be available for sale at all.
In a time when a number of games are going dark mere months after launch, the idea that Everquest 2 — an MMORPG launched in November 2004 — could still be going is incredible. It’s not only still going, but it’s still having new features introduced, and in this case, rolled back after massive community outcry. While this particular new feature may have been a massive flop, it’s pretty amazing in itself that Everquest 2 is still being worked on, and Daybreak should be proud of that. However, this level of community outrage could make future plans difficult, and could ultimately impact on the game’s ability to stay profitable.