The loot box saga continues and has now reached a high boiling point. The current perpetrator this time is EA’s Star Wars Battlefront II, which fans discovered how horrible the progression and unlock system is at gating content through grinding and loot boxes.
While the ESRB are saying it isn’t gambling and so is its European equivalent PEGI, the discussions have reached various governments of the world. The issue has been brought up in the British Parliament recently and currently authorities in Belgium (as reported by VTM)and the Netherlands (reported by NU.nl) are looking into it.
The Belgian Gaming Commission and the Dutch Gambling Authority are both investigating the loot box mechanisms in games. The Belgian Gaming Commission is looking into Battlefront II and Overwatch specifically.
Gambling is often regulated, with laws and licenses being put in place and practice. Should the result of these investigations say it is gambling, it should spell for more regulations within the gaming industry when it comes to methods of monetisation.
EA insisted that the loot crates, as it is called in Battlefront II, is not gambling.
“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.”
EA’s other game Need For Speed Payback has Speed Cards, which operates with a slot machine and also has loot boxes. You can argue that it is thematically fitting, the game’s theme is all about gambling thanks to its setting, but how far is the line until it is considered gambling?
It looks like government authorities will draw that line for us soon.