An IGDA loot box blog post from Executive Director Jennifer MacClean has a wake-up call for the gaming industry: do a better job with microtransactions before the government steps in. It's been a bad…
November 30, 2018 | 04:00 EST
The Federal Trade Commission is investigating loot boxes after an official request to do so was made by Senator Maggie Hassan. The request was affirmed by FTC chairman Joe Simons during a Senate…
November 28, 2018 | 10:59 EST
An Australian loot box report commissioned by the continent-sized nation recommends a "comprehensive review" of the microtransaction mechanic as reported by IGN. Loot boxes have been coming under…
November 27, 2018 | 03:30 EST
Correction: The Report mentioned below never says that Loot Boxes lead to an increase. This appears to be a conclusion drawn by some, and which we have mistakenly passed along. Speaking to…
November 22, 2018 | 07:59 EST
In response to the uncertain future of loot boxes in Belgium, Square Enix is ending service for three of their mobile games in the country. Mobius Final Fantasy will cease operating on November 30th…
November 21, 2018 | 08:35 EST
Since the loot box controversy peaked last year with Star Wars Battlefront II, various governments around the world began taking action against the business practice, with Belgium being one of the…
October 2, 2018 | 05:19 EDT
A coalition of 16 separate gambling commissioners are raising concerns over loot box systems in video games. A news post on the UK's Gambling Commission website released the statement. The inclusion…
September 17, 2018 | 12:35 EDT
Finland has begun investigating the use of loot box systems in video games as reported by Helsingin Sanomat [Finnish], the largest print newspaper in Finland. Loot boxes have been part and parcel of…
September 16, 2018 | 09:18 EDT
2K Games is asking its Belgian fans to "contact [their] local government representative" if they want to see paid loot boxes in the MyTeam mode of NBA 2K19. The Belgian edition of NBA 2K19 will…
September 4, 2018 | 12:30 EDT
Blizzard Entertainment has announced on their forums that they will be removing the ability to purchase loot boxes with real money in Overwatch and the ability to purchase loot chests with real money…
August 27, 2018 | 04:23 EDT
Forza Motorsport 7, the latest in the long-running line of racing games, will be removing Prize Crates (the game's version of loot boxes) in the coming months as reported by Eurogamer. A loot box…
July 27, 2018 | 02:15 EDT
While the heat around Loot Boxes seems to be cooling off it's still clear that many players, companies, and even governments want better clarity on what your chances are of earning an item are as you…
July 24, 2018 | 06:00 EDT
Yesterday was the big reveal of Battlefield V, the next installment of the long-running multiplayer FPS series by developer DICE. The lead up to the game saw several of DICE's producers Andreas…
May 24, 2018 | 05:12 EDT
It's safe to say that Star Wars Battlefront II had a very rocky launch indeed. Players and critics alike noticed that the game's progression system, involving loot boxes and microtransactions, was…
March 16, 2018 | 11:13 EDT
Last year, the conversation around loot boxes reached fever-pitch, with several high-profile controversies making headlines around the world. Many countries were forced to debate whether or not the…
February 28, 2018 | 12:39 EST
Toward the end of last year, Hawaii state representative Chris Lee started laying the groundwork for taking legislative action against video games that offer loot boxes for sale. Now the fruit of his…
February 16, 2018 | 03:45 EST
One of the more interesting events of gaming in 2017 was the virtual protest of sorts staged by gamers against the proliferation of microtransactions; loot boxes, in particular, were heavily…
January 2, 2018 | 10:17 EST
It’s no secret that loot boxes have been under fire recently, and a Hawaiian lawmaker has laid out the next steps necessary to make microtransaction regulation a part of the law. Democratic House…
December 11, 2017 | 07:49 EST
The Danish Gambling Authority has stated that loot boxes can be gambling in certain situations, according to a statement on the agency's website [Danish]. Using Google Translate, we've gone over the…
November 29, 2017 | 09:45 EST
Update: According to RTBF, the Belgian Gambling Commission has not made a final decision or statement on gambling in regards to loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Overwatch. Their…
November 21, 2017 | 11:38 EST
In less than a week after the release of developer Electronic Arts much anticipated follow up to its massively successful, yet universally panned, Star Wars Battlefront, it's sequel Star Wars …
November 21, 2017 | 09:20 EST
Three Capcom team members confirmed to Gamespot via interview that Monster Hunter World will not include loot boxes, and instead focus on "the experience." This comes as games like Middle Earth:…
November 3, 2017 | 09:57 EDT
After a massive backlash, Electronic Arts has announced that they will be making changes to the progression system found in Star Wars: Battlefront 2. The system was heavily criticized after players…
October 31, 2017 | 10:15 EDT
A petition regarding gaming's current hot-button topic, loot boxes, submitted through the UK Parliament Petitions website has reached the 10,000 signatures needed for a government response. The…
October 16, 2017 | 02:21 EDT
OpenCritic has stated in a series of four tweets (first, second, third, fourth) that they will be "taking a stand against loot boxes" by making some additions to their platform to better inform their…
October 15, 2017 | 02:11 EDT
Following the conclusion of the Star Wars Battlefront 2 beta, the internet was in quite an uproar, and likely not in a way that EA had hoped for. As it turns out, the beta effectively gave people a…
October 13, 2017 | 02:21 EDT