lootboxes
EA is testing transparent lockboxes in a FIFA game
Remember two years ago when the ESA announced an optional new policy for the US games industry that would theoretically encourage games companies to...
New UK research finds opening lootboxes is ‘structurally and psychologically akin’ to gambling
The mountain of research-based evidence against lootboxes has had another leaflet added to the pile. A recent report from researchers at the universities of...
Massively-on-the-Go: Gotta cash’em all in Pokemon Go
In the last few editions of the Massively-on-the-Go column, I've been covering the deluge of events and updates Pokemon Go has received quite suddenly...
Judge enforces a Dutch government order for EA to remove FIFA lockboxes or face over $11M in fines
This has been a long and drawn-out battle, so let us review: Back in 2017 when the outrage against lockboxes was at its highest...
Canadian class action lawsuit argues EA’s lootboxes constitute illegal gambling
Ah, it's a good thing for the companies relying on lockboxes that people have completely forgotten about those this year, isn't it? Turns out...
The Daily Grind: Does gacha have a place in MMO business models?
Just so, so many of my friends are playing Genshin Impact these days -- and not just playing, but gushing over the fun, the...
EA’s advertisement of FIFA lockboxes in a children’s toy catalogue draws mounting criticism
It would appear that Electronic Arts didn't learn from the last time it pulled this kind of nonsense, but apparently there was still fuel...
EU study recommends taking on lockboxes as a consumer issue rather than a gambling issue
As much as the companies using them to make bank might want them to, the discussions around lockboxes are not going away. And a...
New UK parliament report recommends regulation of lockboxes as gambling
Remember last month when UK lawmakers started making fresh noise about classifying lockboxes/lootboxes as gambling to protect children following multiple reports and surveys on...
Class action lawsuit alleges Apple promotes gambling via lootboxes through its storefront
Legal moves are being made against the practice of lootbox monetization against one of the largest targets possible. A class action complaint filed with...
English lawmakers may classify lockboxes as straight-up gambling
Video game studios that feature lockboxes in their titles are sitting very uncomfortably this week as England decides whether or not to make their...
UK NHS director calls out lootboxes as ‘under the radar’ gambling
As much as the developers who make lockboxes would probably like for the random packs of items to start slipping back under the radar,...
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is getting rid of locked lockboxes altogether
The process of getting crates in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is not necessarily all that rewarding. You pay your hard-earned BP to get a crate, and it...
UK’s children’s commissioner calls for tighter legislation on lootboxes
A report from UK children's commissioner Anne Longfield is calling for stricter laws on lootboxes and to amend current gambling laws to include lootboxes,...
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare eschews lockbox monetization for a battle pass
Arguably one of the bigger online multiplayer shooters coming down the pike is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, just by mere dint of its...
Predictably, the ESA rebuffs UK call to ban lockboxes, citing nebulous transparent lockbox plan
Yesterday, we covered the UK government’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee panel report on addictive technologies: Readers will recall that the lengthy...
Gaming psychologist Jamie Madigan explains what ‘surprise mechanics’ actually are
We're all familiar with the "surprise mechanics" incident, the absurdist argument in defense of lootboxes from EA's VP of legal and government affairs Kerry...
Leaderboard: Does the ESA’s new transparent lockbox policy go far enough?
Last week, just as the FTC's video games monetization abuse investigation got underway, the ESA announced that many of the major and minor games...
The ESA says a crapton of game companies are finally embracing lockbox transparency
Under pressure from no less than the US Senate, the FTC held the first of its planned video game monetization workshops today, and while...
US Federal Trade Commission outlines the agenda for a lootbox-related workshop on August 7
Conversations, studies, and outright rancor over video game lockbox practices have caught the notice of several world governments as readers of MOP already know,...