'Middle-Earth: Shadow of War' Memorial DLC to Be Offered for Free; WBIE Apologizes for the Mix-Up
With less than two weeks before the release of "Middle-Earth: Shadow of War," one of its DLCs was made available to everyone for free — for a good reason.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that the "Forthog Orc-Slayer" DLC will become free to download. WBIE's decision officially puts an end to the growing controversy surrounding the memorial DLC.
The "Forthog Orc-Slayer" DLC originally aimed to raise funds to support the family of Michael Forgey, the executive producer in Monolith Productions. "Specifically, we decided to sell the DLC worldwide and donate all profits from the DLC to the family," wrote WBIE. "Although we decided to donate all profits to the family, we only planned to actively promote this donation in the U.S. (excluding certain states based on their charitable promotion laws)," the company's statement went on to say.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Forgey passed away last year after a bout with glioblastoma, a rare form of cancer, as reported by Gamespot. The noble cause behind the launching of the DLC was shadowed by controversy after details that only a portion of the proceeds will go to Forgey's family. To clear the air, WBIE admitted that the confusion came from their camp.
"Additionally, a factually incorrect tweet from our team exacerbated the confusion by stating that international funds would not be going to the family. For absolute clarity; our intention was always to give all profits from the DLC, worldwide to the Forgey family," WBIE clarified.
The company also apologized to the Forgey family, as well as the fans for the mix-up and announced that they will make a one-time donation to the family while turning the DLC into a free one. They also noted that selling the DLC "was not the best way" to achieve their goal to provide assistance to family and build a lasting tribute to their fallen comrade.
Gamers who are keen on helping out the family are also encouraged to donate directly via the YouCaring website.
Meanwhile, Polygon reported that players who pre-ordered the DLC will receive a refund of their money. The DLC originally costs $4.99.
"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War" releases Oct. 10 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
