Capcom has recently released their 2020 annual report, where they condemned "gacha-like loot boxes" because they want their users to enjoy their games "fairly and safely." Check out Capcom's comments on gacha and loot boxes below:
In the Japanese game market, discussions have been taking place for several years on the problem of gacha, or lottery-style game mechanics, primarily in mobile games. Overseas, gacha-like “loot boxes” have been banned in some countries.
As a creator of entertainment culture, Capcom believes that games should be enjoyed for the entertainment value they provide with gameplay, not for thrills associated with winning a lottery. We do not want to see games that are supposed to make people happy having the opposite effect as a result of excessive charges. For that reason, we are working to ensure that all users can enjoy our games fairly and safely. In principle, we minimize gacha elements in the mobile games we develop; in our home video games, we provide any content required to enjoy the full game free of charge, while offering some additional content at low cost.
This is very strange, considering Capcom has been caught hiding DLC on game discs and later defended it, saying that it was for "easy compatibility". This is also a company that releases pachinko and pachislot and feels like they have to address their customers "addiction to pachinko and pachislo" in their 2020 report on the next page.
So, while it is meaningful that they are coming out against gacha games, it is also more than a touch hypocritical considering their previous history and how "Capcom endorses and cooperates" with initiatives that are addressing pachinko and pachislo addiction. Still, it is nice to see some consistency, as in their 2019 report Capcom stated that wanted to limit gacha mechanics, which was mostly due to the fact that Western nations see them as gambling. Considering the amount of money that gacha games make, it isn't exactly a small amount of money that Capcom is discarding. That said, Capcom has failed to break into the gacha market on mobile devices in the past, thus it means less than you may think to them.
Anyways, if you would like to peruse the 98-page Capcom Integrated Report, be sure to check it out here.
Quick Take
Capcom says they don't like gacha games. My mind is blown. I cannot help but detect more than an insignificant whiff of jealousy that emanates from the report, where they desperately want to release a gacha game, but due to their incompetence they haven't been able to. So, instead of continuing to bash their heads against the wall, they instead say that they dislike gacha and think it's unfair for their players. I don't believe them; they haven't earned the benefit of the doubt.
What do you think of this news? Do you think Capcom is sincere in voicing their displeasure toward gacha games? Let us know in the comments!
