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According to Belgium's VTM Nieuws, the Chancellor Commission from that country has opened an investigation into both Overwatch and Star Wars Battlefront II loot crates, so as to rule whether or not these constitute gambling. Loot boxes being compared to gambling isn't a new debate, but up until now, a clear ruling that characterizes loot crates as such still hasn't made its way onto the courts or commissions that have been looking into these issues. That loot crates and other microtransactions are resounding successes in ever increasing monetization of game experiences is no secret: Digital River has released a report that stated microtransactions and the whole "Games as a Service" model has tripled the industry's value.
EA has been receiving a lot of flak for the way they implemented their loot boxing mechanics in Star Wars Battlefront II, which has led to repeated cycles of posturing, bullying, and ultimately some small steps backward for the company, regarding its initial stance on Battlefront II's specific implementation. Already has the company decreased costs for unlocking characters in-game, though some are reporting that for players to unlock everything the $60 game supposedly offers, they'd have to play it for at least 4,528 hours - or pony-up $2,100 to unlock all the base content.
When it comes to loot crates and their introduction to the game market, however, the way of unlocking this content is put in an even more suspect lighting. These are, after all, virtual boxes that users buy without knowing what's in the box at the moment of purchase. I can tell you that under Portuguese law as it is written, these loot boxes Are gambling, since the expected return from a player's economic investment into buying one of these can be lower, the same, or exceedingly higher than the spent money - this means there is not only a factor of luck or misfortune, but also hope for an absolutely disproportionate return.
Peter Naessens, Chancellor for the Belgian committee, says this element of uncertainty and randomness, where users are expecting certain loot items, but want certain things but do not know what they're buying, they are actually gambling. "It is thus dependent on coincidence how well you can play the game. And in that case it falls under gambling," said the director of the Chancellor's Committee to VTM NIEUWS. But EA's Star Wars Battlefront isn't the only game that the Commission is setting its sight on: Blizzard's Overwatch also has similar mechanics, though these are arguably less intrusive (and definitely lower profile) than the Battlefront debate.
EA, for their part, had this enlightening bit to say: "Creating a fair and fun game experience is of critical importance to EA. The crate mechanics of Star Wars Battlefront II are not gambling. A player's ability to succeed in the game is not dependent on purchasing crates. Players can also earn crates through playing the game and not spending any money at all. Once obtained, players are always guaranteed to receive content that can be used in game." So there's... that.
View at TechPowerUp Main Site
EA has been receiving a lot of flak for the way they implemented their loot boxing mechanics in Star Wars Battlefront II, which has led to repeated cycles of posturing, bullying, and ultimately some small steps backward for the company, regarding its initial stance on Battlefront II's specific implementation. Already has the company decreased costs for unlocking characters in-game, though some are reporting that for players to unlock everything the $60 game supposedly offers, they'd have to play it for at least 4,528 hours - or pony-up $2,100 to unlock all the base content.
When it comes to loot crates and their introduction to the game market, however, the way of unlocking this content is put in an even more suspect lighting. These are, after all, virtual boxes that users buy without knowing what's in the box at the moment of purchase. I can tell you that under Portuguese law as it is written, these loot boxes Are gambling, since the expected return from a player's economic investment into buying one of these can be lower, the same, or exceedingly higher than the spent money - this means there is not only a factor of luck or misfortune, but also hope for an absolutely disproportionate return.
Peter Naessens, Chancellor for the Belgian committee, says this element of uncertainty and randomness, where users are expecting certain loot items, but want certain things but do not know what they're buying, they are actually gambling. "It is thus dependent on coincidence how well you can play the game. And in that case it falls under gambling," said the director of the Chancellor's Committee to VTM NIEUWS. But EA's Star Wars Battlefront isn't the only game that the Commission is setting its sight on: Blizzard's Overwatch also has similar mechanics, though these are arguably less intrusive (and definitely lower profile) than the Battlefront debate.
EA, for their part, had this enlightening bit to say: "Creating a fair and fun game experience is of critical importance to EA. The crate mechanics of Star Wars Battlefront II are not gambling. A player's ability to succeed in the game is not dependent on purchasing crates. Players can also earn crates through playing the game and not spending any money at all. Once obtained, players are always guaranteed to receive content that can be used in game." So there's... that.
View at TechPowerUp Main Site
