Major Video Game Publishers Will Now Require Developers to Disclose Details on Probability of Loot Boxes

The ESA has just issued a statement regarding the surrounding circumstances of current in-game loot box standards. The statement declared that the major console manufacturers and publishers – Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo – are all steering towards a new goal for developers who implement the loot box feature into their games to abide by.

According the the report, the ESA has explained that the three console makers will require all game developers with the randomized loot box element to disclose information on the probability of obtaining specific items in every loot box. This will help purchasers make the best decision on their purchases, slowly weeding out the ongoing issue that points towards loot boxes as a form of gambling.

“To further that effort, several video game industry leaders are announcing new initiatives to help consumers make informed choices about their purchases, including loot boxes. The major console makers – Sony Interactive Entertainment, operator of the PlayStation platform, Microsoft, operator of Xbox and Windows, and Nintendo, operator of the Nintendo Switch gaming platform – are committing to new platform policies that will require paid loot boxes in games developed for their platforms to disclose information on the relative rarity or probability of obtaining randomized virtual items.” – ESA

While this new approach doesn’t forbid loot boxes all together, it is a good start to creating a friendlier industry towards the consumer. The target date for the new requirement from the three industry leaders is pushing for sometime in 2020 with no exact date yet in place.

In other recent news, Psyonix has announced that their hit multiplayer title Rocket League will no longer feature the randomized loot boxes, instead implementing a new system that allows players to know exactly what they’re paying for ahead of time. It seems the point is being taken and positive actions are becoming more of a necessity.

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Source: ESA