Nintendo has pulled two mobile games in Belgium due to the nation’s anti-gambling law that is aimed at loot boxes. This has prompted the company to pull two big games from being sold in Belgium.
Both Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will be removed from app stores on August 27th of this year, confirmed by an official announcement on the company website. After the date, neither the game will be available for download or to play.
Due to the current unclear situation in Belgium regarding certain in-game revenue models, we have decided to end the service for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Fire Emblem Heroes in Belgium. It will therefore no longer be possible to play and download the games from Tuesday 27 August 2019.
Players who still have Orbs and/or Leaf Tickets in their account can continue to use them until the service ends.
In addition, future Nintendo games with similar earnings models will no longer be released in Belgium.
We would like to thank all players in Belgium for playing Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Fire Emblem Heroes.
Players who have Orbs or Leaf Tickets in the game can still use it until the deadline. Nintendo also adds that due to the law, the company will not release any future games with similar earnings models in Belgium.
Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp both feature loot box style systems where players in the games have to buy digital currencies, that can be used to buy randomized characters and items in-game. Though the game gives out free currency in the game, it still encourages players to buy more. Especially if a player is looking to get their hands on a rare item or character.
When the law was being talked about in Belgium, The Belgian Gambling Commission recommended the immediate removal of loot boxes from all games sold in the country.
This is not the first time a gaming company is discontinuing to sell games in the country, as Square Enix had pulled three mobile games from Belgium. Kingdom Hearts Union X, Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia, and Mobius Final Fantasy are all have been removed from the stores in Belgium.
On the other hand, most game developers like Blizzard, 2K, and Valve are open to releasing games without the inclusion on loot boxes. Recently, EA 19 has stopped selling its in-game currency in FIFA 19 in Belgium as well.
Meanwhile, in America, the US Federal Trade Commission is already planning a hearing for loot box concerns later this year. FTC chairman Joe Simmons did not comment on the alleged investigation but did say that the FTC will open up a public forum on the sale of loot boxes in video games.
We are currently planning a public workshop on loot boxes for later this year as a one non-law enforcement option,” Simons said. “A workshop could provide a forum for stakeholders representing wide-ranging perspectives, including consumer advocacy organizations, parent groups and industry members. It also could help elicit information to guide subsequent consumer outreach, which could include consumer alert.
What do you think of the laws in Belgium targeting in-game loot boxes for their removal? Post your comments below.
