loot boxes
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'Overwatch 2' won't have loot boxes
'Overwatch 2' won't have loot boxes when it debuts in October.
Blizzard won't release 'Diablo Immortal' in countries with loot box laws
'Diablo Immortal' won't be available in Belgium or the Netherlands due to their loot box laws.
EA’s Ultimate Team raked in $3k per minute last year
A 'substantial portion' of that came from FIFA Ultimate Team.
'Pokémon Go' trial gives players a peek at what might be inside their eggs
Pokémon Go developer Niantic is testing an update that lets players view the contents of their eggs amid increasing legal restrictions on loot boxes.
Germany may restrict games with loot boxes to adults
Germany may soon pass a law that limits video game loot boxes to the 18-plus crowd over gambling concerns.
Epic Games is sending players V-Bucks to settle 'Fortnite' loot box class action lawsuit
Fortnite: Save the World players who purchased random loot boxes when they were available can expect to see 1,000 V-Bucks added to their account in the coming days.
Why FIFA Ultimate Team is often hated and very successful
FIFA 21 will no doubt make over $1 billion, as each entry in the series has in recent years. To legions of FIFA players the new title really signals the start of a fresh season of Ultimate Team. For the unfamiliar, FIFA Ultimate Team is the most popular feature in the game, and the one that's come to define the overall experience.
EA removed a FIFA microtransaction ad that was aimed at kids
It promoted FIFA Points, which are used to unlock FUT packs, in a toy magazine.
Apple faces lawsuit over loot boxes in App Store games
Apple is facing a proposed class action lawsuit for allegedly allowing gambling through loot boxes in App Store titles.
Loot box warning added to game rating labels in the US and Europe
The ESRB's 'Includes Random Items' label will more clearly reveal games with loot boxes.
'Fortnite' will soon offer an Annual Pass with exclusive items
It looks like Fortnite is getting an annual battle pass. As reported by Fortnite News, data miners have found files that point to this new option in the v11.30 update, released today. The salient info reads: "Purchase the 2020 Annual Pass and receive all upcoming 2020 Fortnite Battle Royale: Battle Bundles and 7 Annual Pass exclusive cosmetics. Battle Bundles unlock 25% of content in each Battle Pass instantly upon release."
'Rocket League' update removes loot boxes from the game
Finally, the trend for randomized loot boxes in games is dying as publishers move away from the unpopular mechanic. As announced in today's update notes, Rocket League has changed its approach to cosmetic items to be less chance-based.
'Rocket League' will allow players to trade its not-quite-loot boxes
Rocket League developer Psyonix has revealed additional details about how the game's revised blueprint system will work when it launches next month. If you haven't followed Rocket League in a while, blueprints will soon replace the game's existing loot crates. They're designed to provide more transparency on the in-game items you can buy using real-world money. Each time you earn a blueprint, you'll be able to see exactly the item it unlocks. You can then either decide to purchase the drop or save it in your inventory to buy at a later date. Additionally, Psyonix revealed today that you'll also be able to trade any revealed blueprints, as well as any in-game items you used the schematics to buy, with other players.
Fraud forces Valve to kill ‘CS:GO’ loot box key trading
Valve's policy of allowing Counter Strike: Global Offensive players to buy and re-sell keys to access in-game loot boxes is no more. The company has announced that the marketplace has apparently been taken over by large fraud networks as a way of laundering money. On the CS:GO blog, an unnamed staffer wrote that "nearly all key purchases that end up being traded or sold on the marketplace are believed to be fraud-sourced."
'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare' swaps loot boxes for a battle pass
Activision has confirmed its post-launch plans for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and they're generous to say the least. All future maps and new modes will be released for free, there won't be any loot boxes or a season pass, and the game will feature crossplay across all platforms. It's a major departure from previous games in the series.
'Rocket League' will replace randomized loot crates with 'blueprints'
Psyonix revealed in August it planned to kill off Rocket League's randomized loot crates. It's now laid out how it will replace them: with a new type of drop called blueprints.
UK officials call for loot boxes to be regulated like gambling
Regulators in both the US and the UK have been investigating the loot box mechanics found in many games to see if they should be considered gambling. The UK Government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee has now released a report which condemns a "lack of honesty and transparency" from gaming industry industry representatives about the potential harms of game mechanics like loot boxes. The report also recommends that games containing loot boxes should be regulated as gambling and not be sold to children in particular.
'Rocket League' is ditching randomized loot crates
Game publishers will soon have to disclose the likelihood of players claiming rare items in loot boxes in their console games, following an agreement between many of them, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Psyonix had already revealed the odds of Rocket League players getting an ultra-rare black market item. However, it's getting rid of those paid, randomized loot crates.
Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo agree to disclose loot box odds
Loot boxes have been a source of controversy in recent years. They offer gamers a way to snag virtual items, but because the rewards are typically randomized and players can buy them with real money, they've been called as a form of gambling. Some jurisdictions have banned them completely, and others have looked into them. The games industry is attempting to soothe those concerns. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have agreed to disclose the odds of obtaining highly-sought-after gear inside loot boxes.
EA tells UK Parliament loot boxes are 'quite ethical'
With loot boxes receiving heavy scrutiny lately, EA has come up with a novel explanation for what the controversial game mechanic should be considered perfectly legal. Appearing before the UK Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, EA's vice president of legal and government affairs Kerry Hopkins insisted that loot boxes aren't akin to gambling but are instead "surprise mechanics" like Kinder Eggs, the popular chocolate candy with toys inside.
