informa
/
1 MIN READ
News

Belgian officials say they'd like lootboxes banned, but investigation continues

Update: After some scrutiny, the Belgian Gaming Commission tells local media that it believes 'loot crate' monetization schemes in games may qualify as gambling -- and a government local official would like them banned.

After roughly a week of scrutiny, an official with the Belgian Gaming Commission has told local media outlet VTM that he would like to ban "loot crate" monetization schemes, though investigation reportedly continues [see update below] into whether such models qualify as gambling.

The report comes from a convoluted Google translation, but the gist is Belgian Minister of Justice Koen Greens told VTM that he would like to ban such systems from being implemented in games at all, both in Belgium and in Europe at large.

Although he called for the ban, the legal status of loot crates in Belgium are still to be determined. Last week, after Belgian Gaming Commission general director Peter Naessens told VTM the regulator would be scrutinizing loot box systems in games like Overwatch and Electronic Arts' Star Wars Battlefront II, an EA representative told GameSpot that "the crate mechanics of Star Wars Battlefront II are not gambling" because players can earn them through play and they're always guaranteed to give the player some sort of payout. 

Shortly thereafter, the Battlefront II team temporarily disabled all microtransaction opportunities in the game while they re-evaluate the game's progression and monetization systems.

Update: An earlier version of this article said Belgium's Gaming Commission definitively categorized "loot boxes" as gambling. A report from Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française contradicts this statement and we updated the article. Apologies for the confusion.

Latest Jobs

IO Interactive

Hybrid (Malmö, Sweden)
3.02.23
Gameplay Director (Project Fantasy)

Arizona State University

Los Angeles, CA, USA
2.27.23
Assistant Professor of XR Technologies

IO Interactive

Hybrid (Copenhagen, Denmark)
3.02.23
Animation Tech Programmer

Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN, USA
3.02.23
Assistant Professor in Game Design and Development
More Jobs   

CONNECT WITH US

Explore the
Advertise with
Follow us

Game Developer Job Board

Game Developer

@gamedevdotcom

Explore the

Game Developer Job Board

Browse open positions across the game industry or recruit new talent for your studio

Browse
Advertise with

Game Developer

Engage game professionals and drive sales using an array of Game Developer media solutions to meet your objectives.

Learn More
Follow us

@gamedevdotcom

Follow us @gamedevdotcom to stay up-to-date with the latest news & insider information about events & more