We reported earlier today that Middle-earth: Shadow of War will have microtransactions, and this has led some fans to ask about whether the game will be 'always online', something that Monolith has confirmed on the thread about the Market on the forums.
That's not all, though, as NeoGAF user Alexander DeLarge has helpfully assembled a whole batch of information about the situation, in which he posts a screenshot of Monolith saying "At the moment, you can play offline [...] And anything [that's] an online feature will require online." This would mean that spending Gold in the Market comes under this.
As pointed out by many, though, having the game 'always online' prevents hackers from affecting the in-game currency as well as loot boxes, but this hasn't stopped some from still being angry that the game requires an internet connection to access the Market, despite assurances that the rest of the game can be played offline.
Does the 'always online' aspect bother you?