It’s a day that ends in “y” and so that means some fresh lootbox-related news to share with you fine folks!
First up is an interview with Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, who took a moment to talk about his efforts to pass legislation against lootbox and pay-to-win microtransactions. In the interview, Hawley addressed concens that the legislation proposal was nothing more than a publicity stunt and that it wouldn’t get much traction in US Congress. He also says that video game industry lobbyists have halted him and expressed their dismay at his proposal — an indication, says Hawley, that he’s on the right track:
“They’ve certainly expressed their, shall we say, concern over this legislation. But I think that’s probably a good indication that we’re getting somewhere.”
Meanwhile, in Belgium, The Big N has elected to halt service for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Fire Emblem Heroes on Tuesday, August 27th. The decision comes as a result of “the unclear situation… regarding certain in-game revenue models,” which is a reference to Belgium’s own crusade against gambleboxes; you’ll recall the country has named and shamed a number of high profile companiesover the business model, which you can get caught up on in the roundup below.
EA cuts sale of FIFA currency in Belgium in ongoing lootbox legal conflict
Square-Enix pulls three mobile titles from Belgium over lockbox rules
ArenaNet confirms Belgian Guild Wars 2 gem-purchasing blockade
Belgium begins criminal investigation into EA’s noncompliance with gambling laws as lockboxes remain in FIFA
Blizzard is disabling Overwatch and HOTS lockbox purchases for Belgian players
Belgian Gaming Commission releases full report barring gambleboxes in video games
Belgium orders Overwatch, CSGO, and FIFA 18 to remove lockboxes or face criminal penalties
Belgium seeks to ban lockboxes as gambling, plus Hawaii and France weigh in
Star Wars Battlefront 2: The AMA, Wall Street, and the Belgian gambling commission
