What are the Odds?Â
Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have all recently come to an agreement that will force games with loot boxes to display their odds. This will of course only apply to games that are available for their consoles and other platforms. This policy will apply to all games, as well as game updates in the future that feature loot boxes. This rule will carry over to the next generation of consoles as well. So don’t expect it to go away anytime soon.
There is no set date or timeframe of when these changes will be implemented. All we know is that Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft “indicated a commitment” to make sure that this happens.
It goes without saying that making games display the odds of loot boxes mandatory is not good news for companies that use them. Loot boxes have been under heavy criticism over the past few years. There was, and still are debates raging over whether or not loot boxes should be considered a form of gambling. Britain found this not to be the case however, other nations have arrived at the opposite conclusion.
This will not kill the loot box business model entirely, but it will definitely hurt it. Loot boxes are still very much legal in many countries around the world. But having the odds visual to the player will certainly persuade them to perhaps spend their money elsewhere.
According to the ESA, other big developers within the industry have agreed to these rules as well. These include Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Bethesda, Capcom, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, SEGA, Take-Two, THQ Nordic, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros.
Do you think this will seriously handicap the number of loot boxes that are bought? Let us know in the comments down below.