Blizzard Entertainment's first-person shooter Overwatch has had a tiny change take place with its loot box system in the China region - purchases will now include a small amount of in-game currency according to a Chinese-language post on the game's official site for the region.
The changes will be taking effect with the 1.12 patch (currently being tested on the PTR worldwide) in the Chinese region. Players will no longer be directly purchasing loot boxes; rather, they will purchase a small sum of currency and receive loot boxes alongside this purchase. Players in the Chinese region will still be able to acquire loot through the existing in-game mechanics of leveling up and winning a certain number of games played on Overwatch's Arcade. Here's what the packages will contain and their prices:
- 5 Credits & 2 Loot Boxes - 12 元 ($1.76)
- 15 Credits & 5 Loot Boxes - 30 元 ($4.41)
- 30 Credits & 11 Loot Boxes - 60 元 ($8.82)
- 60 Credits & 24 Loot Boxes - 120 元 ($17.64)
- 120 Credits & 50 Loot Boxes - 238 元 ($34.99)
Given similar Credit costs for items, the amount of currency you receive with these purchases isn't very much. A $8.82 purchase will net you 11 Loot Boxes and enough currency to buy a single voice line, and it would take over $280 to get enough currency to purchase a single Legendary skin (eight of the most expensive packages, one of the second cheapest, and one of the cheapest). According to the /r/Overwatch thread on the topic, the law on this matter doesn't specify any amounts or value for the in-game purchases so these changes may well be enough to comply with the regulations. As for the Western regions, a feedback thread regarding loot boxes on the English-language Overwatch forums is at 190 pages and counting.
What do you think of Blizzard shifting the focus of cosmetic purchases to buying currency and getting loot boxes as an add-on? Do you think they ought to bring this change to other regions? How do you feel about the loot system in Overwatch overall? Let us know in the comments below!
