The top three major video game companies have now agreed to disclose loot box odds. The three giants are now committed to forcing all the publishers that choose their platforms, to disclose the odds of the loot box rewards. This essentially means that the games will have to let the players know the types of items they will be rewarded with within the games.
The announcement was made by the Entertainment Software Association, where the new policy was revealed on Wednesday over at the Federal Trade Commission workshop on loot boxes.
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.
These required disclosures will also apply to game updates if the update adds new loot box features. The precise timing of this disclosure requirement is still being worked out, but the console makers are targeting 2020 for the implementation of the policy.
Many publishing companies already disclose loot box odds, while the announcement also says that other major publishers are also going to agree to this policy by the end of 2020. These include Activision Blizzard, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, Bethesda, Bungie, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and Wizards of the Coast.
This new disclosure will apply to all the new games and updates that bring in-game purchases, with a more clear and understandable presentation for the customers or gamers.
What do you think of the new policy to disclose loot box odds? Do you think it will help the whole process look transparent, or is there more that needs to change? Post your comments below.
