Things went from bad to worse for EA and other gaming publishers today as Belgium's Gaming Commission reportedly ruled that loot boxes in games like Star Wars Battlefront 2, and even Blizzard's Overwatch, constitute as a form of gambling.
A rough
Google translation from
VTM News gives some insight on the ruling. "The mixing of money and addiction is gambling," the Gaming Commission declared. Belgium's Minister of Justice Koen Geens also weighed in, commenting, "Mixing gambling and gaming, especially at a young age, is dangerous for the mental health of the child."
Geens is reportedly seeking to ban in-game purchases outright if you don't know exactly what your purchasing (ie. randomized loot boxes). He said the process will take time, "because we have to go to Europe. We will certainly try to ban it."
The implementation of loot boxes in video games have been debated for a while now. Even though you're spending money and receiving something in return,t he argument is that you don't know what you're getting. It's that dependence on chance that the gaming commission seems to have a problem with.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 took it to the extreme, however, when it not only locked characters behind ridiculous in-game prices, but also tied progression in the game to randomized loot boxes. EA has since backtracked on its microtransaction system,
disabling in-game purchases until further notice.
Blizzard's
Overwatch strictly locks cosmetic items in loot boxes, which can be earned by playing the game and leveling up or simply purchasing them with cash. But again, it's a system that relies on randomness and you can't directly buy the actual cosmetic item.
This ruling will go far beyond
Battlefront 2 and
Overwatch, however, and could ultimately impact the entire gaming industry. We're talking heavy fines and even the possible removal of these games from sale.